Cheapest dates to book your summer holiday this year — and it's not May

Planning a holiday isn’t something you can simply do on a whim, and whether you’re looking to spend a few days at the beach or a weekend wandering around an ancient European city, picking out a destination can take some time.

When it comes to booking a holiday on a budget, even a last-minute one, there’s no shortage of advice out there. While some experts argue that January is the best month to bag holiday offers and save yourself more money to spend on your trip, others recommend booking flights just six weeks in advance, depending on the destination. It’s also important to consider prices, which often peak during school holidays, especially in August, when more people are looking to go on holiday when the kids are off school. In most cases, leaving it until the last minute can end up costing you more money, which is why it’s usually advised to spend some time planning your travels.

Preparing a budget and taking some time to plan can make booking a holiday more affordable and probably more enjoyable. But according to Skyscanner’s Smarter Summer Report, there are a few dates in particular you should be keeping an eye on.

If you’re still looking to book a holiday this year, the travel search engine revealed that holiday-makers should look to book a trip at the start of July.

Looking through travel data, the report specifically highlighted that the second week of July is when “demand eases” with Monday, July 7 to Sunday, July 13 being the cheapest week of the summer to travel. Surprisingly, the annual report also found that Saturdays are the best days to take off if you are looking to travel for less this year.

Weekends are usually more expensive, as this is when most people are able to travel, especially when it comes to getting time off work, but Saturdays were found to be the cheapest day to travel.

The confusion around travelling on a Saturday might come from the fact that this is generally a more expensive time of the week to look at flights.

It’s widely known that Tuesdays are a cheaper day to book flights, and according to Skyscanner, this is “because airlines often release sales starting from Monday night or Tuesday morning.”

However, the annual report doesn’t entirely write off travelling earlier in the week, and even found that travelling on a Tuesday was the cheapest day for more popular destinations, including Malaga.

The travel search engine revealed that the beginning of July is the cheapest time to fly to Malaga, with a flight on Tuesday, July 1 costing just £153 compared to the average £187.