With many eager to start travelling again, new research reveals the cheapest (& most expensive) times of the year to travel in 2022.
The study analyzed the average nightly cost of a 3* hotel, comparing both months of the year and days of the week, in 70 of the most popular tourist destinations across the globe, to reveal the cheapest (& most expensive) times of the year to book a hotel stay.
The Cheapest Months to Travel Overall
Rank | Month | Number of Destinations | Destinations Where Hotels Are Cheapest |
1 | January | 19 | Barbados , Santiago, Oia, Providencia, Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, Barcelona, Venice, Berlin, Rome, Amsterdam, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Lisbon, Vienna, Budapest, Warsaw, Dublin, Paris, London |
2 | May | 7 | Zermatt, Melbourne, Cairo, Miami, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Bora Bora |
3 | July | 7 | Hamilton, Milan, Sydney, Seoul, Madrid, Dubai, Barbados |
January is the cheapest month on average to travel to the world’s most visited tourist destinations. January ranked as the cheapest month for 19 of the world’s top vacation destinations, for example, one night in Santiago during January is on average 564% cheaper than in December.
Despite also being listed as two of the most expensive months to travel, May and July are still recognized as being two of the cheapest months to travel in southern hemisphere tourist hotspots including Sydney , where a hotel stay is 139% cheaper than in December.
The Most Expensive Months to Travel Overall
Rank | Month | Number of Destinations | Destinations Where Hotels Are Most Expensive |
1 | July | 11 | Dubrovnik, Oia (Santorini), Tokyo, Florence, Prague, Machu Picchu, Las Vegas, Havana, Edinburgh, Copenhagen, Orlando |
2 | May | 10 | Moscow, Shanghai, Johannesburg, Venice, Osaka, Amsterdam, Vienna, Budapest, Kerry, The Maldives |
3 | September | 8 | New York, Toronto, Munich, Berlin, Madrid, Bangkok, Brussels, Lisbon |
July is the most expensive month on average for a vacation. It is the priciest month to travel to 11 destinations, including Dubrovnik, Tokyo, and Florence. The difference in price is astounding, e.g., a night in a hotel in Oia, Santorini costs 496% more on average in July than in January!