The summer travel and vacation season is upon us, but the reality is, the perfect getaway can be expensive.
There are many travel tips, hacks or tricks people use to get the best and cheapest travel deals online, but a survey by online travel search engine Skyscanner.ca suggests not all of them work.
One of the hacks the survey found does work, according to Marissa Hills, market growth Lead at Skyscanner, is timing.
“We find that booking on a Tuesday or Wednesday will help you get the cheapest price,” Hills said. “As well, booking around 4 a.m.”
According to the site’s data, booking a fare on Saturday or Sunday can see price hikes of an average of $20 per ticket.
Skyscanner also looked into a number of myths surrounding online travel booking.
One of the top ones was spontaneity.
The free meta travel search site, which is available in 49 countries, found last-minute flights do not always translate into cheap flights and booking a day before or the day of can result in airfare prices going up by hundreds of dollars.
“We find booking three to six months out is really the best time to get that cheap flight.”
Other myths, according to the survey, include; using third-party sites leads to higher prices and that finding the best deal requires legwork. Skyscanner said all of those factors could play a role as you book your travel, but how much depends on where you’re going and when.
Global News asked Calgarians what tricks they used when booking vacations online.
“I’ve heard it’s good to look on Tuesdays and Thursdays and always clear your search history because the prices go up if you don’t,” Lisa Alphonsus said.
Sasha Ivanov agreed that waiting for the right time is key, adding he prefers to search using local sites.
“I use YYC Deals and they basically just have a curated list of great flights available for Calgarians.”
The survey also looked at the travel habits and opinions of Albertans.
Of those surveyed, 76 per cent thought they’re very savvy or somewhat savvy when researching or booking travel.
But when asked about past vacations, only 43 per cent said they thought they could have found a better deal, or don’t know if they got a good deal.
As for where Albertans were likely to travel this year, out of the 62 per cent planning a trip, 70 per cent said they’re likely to stay in Canada.
The survey was commissioned by Skyscanner and conducted by research firm Maru/Blue. It surveyed 1,510 Canadian leisure travellers from Oct. 11 to 15, 2018 about their habits and preferences including travel booking and planning. It was conducted using an online questionnaire. All respondents were members of the Maru Voice online panel.