Planning holiday travel? Now is the time to book

Those of you planning winter travel for the holidays should start booking flights and stays right now, as many travel experts say right now—late October to early November—is a great time to finalize those travel details.

According to Google Flights, we are now in the best time window to book Thanksgiving and Christmas flights.

When to book flights + hotels

Today, October 23, is specifically a great day to book Thanksgiving travel, according to a report by CBS MoneyWatch, who crunched numbers from the Google Flights site. The report says the best deals on Thanksgiving plane tickets can usually be found between 57 and 21 days before departure.

As for Christmas travel, Google Flights says the best deals can be found between 33 and 67 days before their travel dates.

The best days to fly, according to the CBS report, are December 18, 19 and 20 and on December 27, the Sunday after Christmas Day.

Finding a place to stay

For availability purposes, booking hotels or short-term rentals for the holidays should be done as early as possible, but for travelers who have not booked lodging for their holiday trips, travel experts have a few tips for getting the best deals.

You can find deals on hotels close to the day of your stay, but you are risking not finding lodging at all due to lack of available rooms. Hence, waiting for a deal could be a gamble.

There are some suggestions (from Yahoo Travel) that can help you pay a little less on lodging.

Experts recommend booking your stay to start on a Sunday. The hotel cost will typically be lower because leisure and business travelers often check out right before a new work week starts.

Hotels are usually more expensive if you plan to check in on a Friday or Saturday, when demand is higher, says Jason Wright, founder of Paradise Travel Group.

Airfares right now

The most popular flight destinations for Thanksgiving and Christmas (according to AAA) are:

• New York
• Orlando
• Tampa
• Ft. Lauderdale
• Los Angeles
• San Francisco
• Honolulu
• Las Vegas
• Atlanta

Here’s what the cheapest roundtrip airfare looks like to those destinations from Huntsville, as of October 23, 2026,:

Huntsville International Airport

• New York
  • Thanksgiving: $435 on American Airlines
  • Christmas: $420 on Delta Airlines
• Orlando
  • Thanksgiving: $160 on Allegiant Air
  • Christmas: $181 on Breeze Airways
• Tampa
  • Thanksgiving: $198 on Allegiant Air
  • Christmas: $178 on Allegiant Air
• Ft. Lauderdale
  • Thanksgiving: $208 on Allegiant Air
  • Christmas: $133 on Allegiant Air
• Los Angeles
  • Thanksgiving: $379 on American Airlines
  • Christmas: $399 on Delta Airlines
• San Francisco
  • Thanksgiving: $397 on United Airlines
  • Christmas: $569 on Delta Airlines
• Honolulu
  • Thanksgiving: $1,298 on Delta Airlines
  • Christmas: $1,281 on United Airlines
• Las Vegas
  • Thanksgiving: $549 on American Airlines
  • Christmas: $317 on Breeze Airways
• Atlanta
  • Thanksgiving: $259 on Delta Airlines
  • Christmas: $259 on Delta Airlines

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