As holiday travel searches soar from Labor Day through early December, travelers are eager to know: When should I book? How can I score the best flight deals? Expedia’s latest insights—powered by rich, real-world data—offer clear, actionable advice tailored to 2025’s travel landscape.

Whether you’re planning a domestic escape or an international adventure, their guidance can help you unlock serious savings.

1. Timing Is Everything: When to Book for Maximum Savings

• Advance Booking Window: For domestic flights, book 1 to 3 months before your trip to maximize savings. For international flights, booking 18 to 29 days in advance hits the sweet spot.
• Price Drop Protection: Expedia’s optional Price Drop Protection gives travelers peace of mind—if the price drops after booking, you’ll get the difference refunded, for a fee, on select flights.

2. The Best Day to Book: Sunday Is Your Friend

• Booking on Sunday delivers the biggest bargains:

1. Domestic flight savings: up to 6% compared to Monday
2. International savings: up to 17% compared to Friday

3. Smart Travel Days: Choose When to Fly Strategically

• International travel: Flying on Thursday can be up to 15% cheaper than flying on a Sunday
• Domestic travel: Saturdays offer the most value, saving 17% over Sundays
• Expedia’s Air Hacks report emphasizes that specific departure days, not just booking days, matter significantly

4. Cheapest Month to Travel: August Surprises Travelers

• August, long seen as peak season, now offers the lowest fares—a sharp reversal of expectations:

  1. Save 12% on domestic travel versus February

  2. Save 7% internationally compared to March

5. Powerful Tools to Uncover Hidden Discounts

• Flight Deals Tool: Expedia’s app now includes a Flight Deals feature that automatically surfaces fares at least 20% lower than estimated prices, personalized to your home airport and dates.
• Additional smart strategies:

1. Use calendar view tools to compare prices across an entire month
2. Toggle filters (like time of day, number of stopovers) for optimal flexibility
3. Experiment with multi-city and open-jaw searches
4. Consider flying via regional or secondary airports (e.g., Oakland instead of SFO) and stay alert for new flight routes that may offer promotional fares

6. Destination Discounts: Where Are Savings the Largest?

Expedia data highlights several destinations with notable fare reductions in 2025:

• Mexico: Mazatlán, Culiacán, Mexico City — up to 25% off
• Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang — up to 20% off
• Italy: Rome, Milan, Florence — up to 15% off
• Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo — up to 15% off
• Japan: Tokyo, Osaka — up to 5% off
• USA: Seattle, San Francisco — up to 5% off

Conclusion

Expedia’s 2025 flight-booking insights are a game-changer:
Book 1–3 months ahead domestically, 18–29 days ahead internationally, and always on a Sunday. Fly on Saturdays or Thursdays, and plan your trip in August to enjoy the lowest fares. Use smart tools like the Flight Deals feature andPrice tracking, compare dates visually, and stay flexible with airports and routes. Especially watch for standout deals to cities like those in Mexico, Vietnam, Italy, Brazil, Japan, and key U.S. hubs.