No, we won’t be traveling this holiday season as we have many times over the years. It wasn’t that we preferred to travel near or on holidays, but we often found flights that were more affordable on actual holiday dates than at other times. We’ve been on cruises and flights at Christmastime, as mentioned below in the “ten years ago photo” in 2020 during the lockdown in Mumbai, India.

We’d have loved to travel on Christmas Day while stuck in India, but the international airport was closed. We could not leave the country until well into January 2021, when it finally reopened, after which we were on our way to South Africa.

However, during many other holiday seasons in the past 12 years of our world travel, we traveled after finding excellent pricing for flights and cruises to travel on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve and Day.

Family gatherings often motivate travelers to arrive at their preferred locations on time to attend specific planned holiday events. If a traveler can arrange a same-day arrival based on the time their flight lands, they can save hundreds of dollars. For many, paying premium prices for ideal dates is worth the added expense.

Arriving ” the same day” is usually more economical for those on a travel budget. Of course, there’s the risk of delayed or late flights, which one must consider. Since we’ve traditionally been traveling from one country we’re visiting to another, not necessarily to the US for a holiday, it’s not a big deal, except for the inconvenience.

From Travel and Leisure magazine:

“Avoid Flying on These Days During the 2024 Holiday Season to Save on Airfare

Travel app Going says travelers should avoid flying on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving and on the Sunday and Monday before Christmas.

By Aliison Fox

It’s shaping up to be a busy — and expensive — holiday travel season, and some days over Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s will be pricier than others.

Travelers hoping to save should avoid flying on the Tuesday or Wednesday before Thanksgiving and on the Sunday and Monday before Christmas; travel app Going shared with Travel + Leisure. The Sunday after Thanksgiving tends to be the busiest travel day of the year.

Instead, travelers should consider flying on the actual holidays (Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, for example), which could save them up to 25 percent off the overall ticket cost, according to Going.

“Overall, flight prices coming out of summer are the lowest we’ve seen in years,” Scott Keyes, the founder and chief flight expert at Going, said in a statement shared with T+L. “This holiday season, Going members can save anywhere from 40 percent to 90 percent on flights, provided they have the right tools. It’s important to understand cheap flights as a matter of probabilities. Each day presents a certain likelihood that a great deal may arise.”

Regarding New Year’s, returning on Dec. 31 will save travelers money, compared to flying on Jan. 1 — and airports will also be less crowded.

The advice comes as travelers are expected to spend more on holiday travel this year and as crunch time to book flights quickly approaches. Those planning to fly over Thanksgiving or Christmas should book no later than Oct. 14.

For those who don’t mind spending Thanksgiving abroad, Keyes said it’s a great time to save on an international trip due to the significant increase in domestic travel for Turkey Day.”

Photo from ten years ago today, October 13, 2014:

Before taking this shot, we waited for this sailboat to cross this sunset in Waikiki Beach. For more photos, please click here.