Let’s face it, traveling is expensive. The average cost of a one-week vacation in the United States is $1,984 per person, according to a 2023 study from Bankrate. For the same vacation with two people, that jumps to $3,969. But traveling is also a worthwhile investment in yourself, and study after study shows that travel improves your overall health. And luckily, there are ways to get out and see the world without spending too much money.
In late 2023, luggage storage company Bounce revealed the results of a study that looked at the cheapest time to visit some of the world’s most popular travel destinations. To find accurate dates, Bounce started with a seed list of 70 popular tourist destinations. It then used Kayak to look at the average daily hotel cost by month of the year and day of the week (as of November 16, 2023). It then used that data to calculate the difference in average price per night at a three-star hotel between the cheapest and most expensive months of the year.
After digging into the data, Bounce found “clear seasonal trends in travel costs,” noting that “January is the cheapest month for 15 cities,” including popular spots like London, Amsterdam and Berlin.
According to Bounce, off-season travel in February comes in second, with it being the cheapest time to travel to 12 cities, including New York, Paris and Milan.
And some destinations, like the Maldives, are notoriously expensive: Travelers who choose to go to the archipelago’s capital, Male, can save up to 85 percent by visiting from January to August.
When it comes to which days are the cheapest to travel, Bounce noticed a slightly surprising result. “Contrary to popular belief, our data shows that Saturday is the cheapest day to stay in 17 cities, including trips to cities like Las Vegas, Dublin and Milan,” the company noted. “This is likely due to a variety of factors, including lower demand for business travel on weekends. Saturday was also the most common and cheapest day when analyzing 2022.”
In 10 cities, including major destinations like Prague, Barcelona, Rome, Singapore and Miami, Sunday, Friday and Monday tied for second place as the cheapest days to travel.
Meanwhile, winter and fall travel tends to be the most expensive for many destinations, according to Bounce, with Asian cities like Chiang Mai and Phuket in Thailand seeing their most expensive months being in December, while cities like Athens, Lisbon and Barcelona see their peak prices in September.
But sometimes you can’t choose when you want to take your vacation. That’s ok, there are still ways to save money. Check out Travel + Leisure’s best budget travel tips from the pros to save a little money on your next trip.
