A New Survey By Kayak Reveals the Best Time to Book Flights

Name: Budget Travel LLC
Price range: $

By Kaeli Conforti

October 18, 2012

Looking to save the most money on your next plane ticket? A new survey by flight search engine Kayak.com says the lowest domestic flights can be found 21 days before your date of departure—make that 34 days before your departure date for international flights. Domestic airfares found within two weeks of departure increased by five percent, and were 30 percent higher one week before the departure date. The international airfares found 34 days prior to departure were four percent lower than flights booked six months earlier than the departure date.

The new findings come from compiling and analyzing one year's worth of search results data from an average of 100 million flight searches per month. Here's something counterintuitive; The results suggest that you should NOT book domestic flights too early, as those reserved six months before the departure date were 19 percent higher, and flights found five months ahead were 18 percent higher than flights booked 21 days before departure.

Which days of the week you fly also make a difference. When booking domestic flights that are up to one week long, Kayak found that the lowest-priced fares depart on Saturday and return on Wednesday, while flights longer than one week that depart on Tuesday and return on the following Wednesday have the lowest-priced fares. For international flights up to one week long, Kayak recommends departing on Tuesday and returning on the following Wednesday, or departing on either Friday or Saturday and returning the following Monday—for trips longer than one week, try departing on Saturday and returning the following Sunday, or aim for the second-cheapest set of airfares by returning on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday.

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Inspiration

Five Museums You Won't Want to Miss

Museums aren't always just about the art. Case in point: the new museum that just opened in Italy devoted to all things gelato. We found five museums in the works around the world that hold artifacts from musical groups and historic battles. And ok, yes, there is one art museum in there as well. Carpigiani Gelato MuseumAnzola Emilia, Bologna, ItalyEating is probably the number one tourist activity in Italy. And rightfully so. The new Gelato Museum was created by a gelato machine company and looks at the history of the frozen treat (it's said to date back to the 1530s). The museum is free to visit, but reservations are required. Alas, no free tastings are offered, but there is a gelato shop on site serving gelato based on recipes that are more than 200 years old. Jorge M. Pérez Art MuseumMiami, FloridaSet to open next year with a focus on Caribbean and Latin American art, this new museum in Miami will be housed in a 200,000 square-foot building designed by Herzog & de Meuron. Outside will be sculptures and gardens, plus views of Biscayne Bay. The museum will anchor a 29-acre museum complex that will include a science museum, set to open in 2014. Seminary Ridge Museum Gettysburg, PennsylvaniaNext year marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, and this new museum will open on July 1, 2013 as part of the commemoration events. Located in a grand brick building that served as a field hospital during the war, the 20,000-square-foot museum will be filled with exhibits on the soldiers and nurses and artifacts like letters, medicine containers, and even bullets. There will also be walking trails around the museum with historical markers. ABBA Museum Stockholm, SwedenThe quintessential 70s group is a national treasure in Sweden, and a museum devoted to the quartet will be part of the Swedish Music Hall of Fame when it opens next spring in Stockholm. Look for elaborate costumes, lyric sheets, and videos about the group. M/S Maritime Museum DenmarkElsinore, DenmarkThis museums isn't technically new-the original dates back to 1915 and is housed in the town's Kronborg Castle. But the extensive collection of maritime artifacts will be housed in new digs starting in June 2013. The bulk of the new building, fittingly, will be underground at Dock 1 in the Elsinore Shipyard and the exhibitions will spiral downward.

Secret Hotels of Amsterdam

On April 13, Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum will open its doors after a 10-year, nearly $500 million renovation. The 1885 structure has been restored to its 19th-century glory, with the added advantage of contemporary lighting and design that will literally put works by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and other Dutch Masters in an ideal light. Ready to head for the city of canals, wooden shoes, and amazing paintings? Budget Travel has rounded up some masterpieces of our own—four affordable hotels! Hotel The Exchange BinnenstadTake seniors and recent graduates from the Amsterdam Fashion Institute, challenge them to "dress a room like a model on the catwalk," then set them loose. That's what the owners of Hotel The Exchange did before opening last December, and the results are as unconventional as they are inspired. What the 61 rooms lack in space they make up for with funky touches such as a bed hidden beneath an enormous hoop skirt or a light fixture made from braided ropes that dangle from the ceiling like a luminescent necklace. If the creativity bug strikes during your stay, sewing machines stand at the ready in many of the cozy public spaces. Damrak 50, exchangeamsterdam.com, from $111. The Manor Hotel—Hampshire EdenAmsterdam Oost A century ago, it was a grand hospital in the countryside. Today, the Manor Hotel is a four-star retreat that's a mere 10 minutes by train from Centraal Station. The building still has impressive bones: wrought-iron gates, marble entrance way, ornate brick facade. Front balconies overlook leafy Oosterpark, while rear rooms face an interior garden where you can sip one of 25 wines at Enoteca restaurant. But the cherry-red hallways and oversize headboards sporting kitschy takes on Dutch themes (neon lights reflecting on canals, close-ups of tulips and windmills) give the 125-room hotel an offbeat sense of fun, too. Linnaeusstraat 89, edenhotelgroup.com, from $96. Hotel JL no. 76Amsterdam Oud-ZuidHotel JL no. 76 isn't just walking distance from the Rijksmuseum and other museum-district mainstays: It aspires to be a member of the club. Paintings and textiles by artists Barbara Broekman and Pietr Keizer fill the walls, and the hotel's unofficial mascots are the racing dog statues standing watch in the lobby window. Each of the 39 rooms features a double-sink vanity outside the bathroom, a plush Coco-Mat mattress atop a king-size bed, and either a walk-in rain shower or Jacuzzi (or both!). Best of all, iPads are available at the front desk, which you're free to use as a personal guide while you admire the Dutch masters just down the street. Jan Luijkenstraat 76, vondelhotels.com, from $135. Conscious Hotel VondelparkAmsterdam Oud-WestIn a city that's unusually eco-conscious (three out of four residents bike to work), this 81-room hotel is so green it's almost chartreuse. Named for Amsterdam's largest park-across the street and best explored on one of their 33 rental bikes ($19 per day)-the two-year-old hotel features materials chosen for sustainability and a living plant wall in the lobby. A 100 percent organic, fair-trade breakfast buffet is laid out on tables made from recycled coffee cup waste. You'll even find earth-friendly gifts (like a stuffed animal made from pure yak wool and organic cotton) at the on-site shop. Who says it's not easy being green? Overtoom 519, conscioushotels.com, from $80.

Family

Travel Guides For Kids, By Kids

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Inspiration

Where to Stay in Istanbul

Gumusyan Hotel & Restaurant BeyogluThe folks behind this city-center newcomer, opened in October 2010, stripped the century-old residence to its elements. The original brick walls, wood-plank floors, and 130-year-old-walnut slab headboards now lend an authentic patina that newer hotels can only approximate. There's more to this property than just great bones, though. The owners also filled the 14 rooms with a stylish mix of modern furniture (lime-green sofas, Bertoia-style wire-mesh chairs) and classic Ottoman details such as suzani fabrics and Iznik tiles. The hotel has even begun luring locals to its ground-floor restaurant, an upscale take on a meyhane, a traditional Turkish tavern. 9 Asmali Mescit Cad., gumusyan.com, from $119. House Hotel GalatasarayBeyogluA recent makeover at the hands of urban-cool Turkish design firm Autoban wed the best features of this 19th century building (a sweeping marble staircase, ornate plasterwork) with crisp, contemporary, Scandinavian furnishings. The hotel's 20 guest rooms don't skimp on the creature comforts: king-size, pillow-top beds with goose-down duvets; marble baths stocked with L'Occitane products. But guests may still find themselves haunting the top-floor atrium, where they can lounge on Chesterfield sofas in front of the fireplace or take in the views of Suleymaniye Mosque and the medieval stone Galata Tower. 19 Bostanbasi Cad., thehousehotel.com, from $142.Villa DeniseArnavutköyThe ancient fishing village of Arnavutköy, 30 minutes from the old city by bus, has served as a waterfront retreat for centuries. The last sultans of the Ottoman Empire chose this spot along the Bosphorus for their grandiose hillside homes, and today Istanbul residents make day trips to explore the district's winding cobblestoned streets and celebrated seafood joints. Villa Denise, with its narrow, wallpapered hallways, canopy-draped beds, and tufted fainting couches, evokes the area's haute history—just overlook the odd veneer side table or shabby fixture that tempers the elegance. Two of the five guest rooms have balconies, and all have at least partial views of the Bosphorus. 50 Birinci Cad., villadenise.com.tr, from $144.Ascot Hotel Büyükada At a glance, this 22-room hotel could be just another spruced-up Victorian mansion. Then you notice the neon lights that wash its Doric columns in blue and purple and the Hollywood Regency décor (damask wallpaper, lots of lacquer) in the lobby, and you realize: This hotel is no mere relic. Rooms aim for opulence—most have crystal chandeliers and private balconies—while the large pool, sundeck, and Finnish sauna underscore the resort-escape feel. It's a bit out of the way, on car-free Büyükada island; ferry rides from town take 35 minutes to an hour, depending on the boat. But that's the whole point: You won't find this kind of lost-in-time peace and quiet anywhere on the mainland. 6 Cinar Cad., ascot.com.tr, from $118.

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