published Oct 15, 2022
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The holiday season is great! Holiday travel, though? Not so much. To help make the process as painless as possible, travel resource site The Vacationer compiled a list of the best and worst days to travel this Christmas.
Firstly, try to book your holiday flights as soon as possible. The Vacationer recommends booking your Christmas flights before Thanksgiving. International flights should be booked especially early, usually two to eight months in advance. The best Christmas flight deals are typically available through late August and early September, so you’ll need to act fast to ensure you don’t wind up paying a premium.
Since the holiday falls on a different day each year, predicting ideal flight days can be a bit more difficult. To further complicate things, Christmas falls on a weekend this year.
So, what are the best days to fly during the 2022 Christmas season? To come up with their best and worst dates forecast, The Vacationer’s team sampled numerous departure and arrival cities around the United States to reach a consensus.
The best Christmas departure dates are Sunday, December 18, Monday, December 19, Tuesday, December 20, Saturday, December 24, and Sunday, December 25 (yes, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day).
Simply put, the earlier you leave during Christmas week the better. But if you really need to get a few days of work in before flying out, flying on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day themselves is ideal for fewer crowds and cheaper prices… if you’re willing to fly on a holiday.
Whatever you do, try to avoid two days before Christmas Eve (Wednesday, December 22, and Thursday, December 23), since they’re some of the busiest travel days.
On the flip side, the best Christmas return dates are Wednesday, December 28, Thursday, December 29, and Friday, December 30.
Since Christmas falls on a Sunday this year, Monday, December 26, and Tuesday, December 27, are bound to be popular, crowded travel days. If you’re able to avoid flying for a few days and can work remotely, heading back later is bound to save you money and hassle. Good luck!
