The August bank holiday is nearly upon us, and if you’re starting to wish you’d booked a getaway to make the most of the long weekend, the good news is that you’re not too late.
In fact, according to one travel pro, this weekend could actually be the best time to book if you’re after the cheapest deals.
Chris Bradshaw, a travel bookings expert for AttractionTickets.com, revealed that data from the brand unearthed the best days to book for maximum savings over the bank holiday weekend (the bank holiday itself falls on Monday, August 31).
According to Chris, Sundays are key including this weekend, at 6am on August 16. He explained: “Taking a look at our own analysis of pricing trends, and wider industry data, we can see that Sundays consistently stand out as one of the best days, value-wise, to make a booking. This is likely due to Airlines refreshing inventory over the weekend. We also know there’s real data to back this up, and it’s known across our industry that booking on a Sunday can save 23% in comparison to Friday bookings – which is a lot of money, especially if you’re holidaying as a family.”
Don’t despair if you don’t get up in time though – you’ll get another chance on August 23, and again it’s worth setting your alarm for 6am if you can.
“Whilst it’s not guaranteed, we know that many flight providers release fresh fares early in the morning,” Chris added. “If I wanted a good deal, I’d be online at around 6am to find the best ones before booking activity increases. This is likely going to give you the best chance for finding a good offer.”
Although Chris stressed that “nothing is ever guaranteed”, data does suggest that Sundays could be the best days. Oh, and make sure to avoid Fridays, when fares tend to spike due to an increase in demand.
If the August bank holiday doesn’t quite work for you, the good news is that Chris shared some more insider tips. He admitted that travel pros “know of a secret last-minute travel window that gets great deals”. The trick? Book around 8 to 23 days before the date of departure, as this “generally seems to deliver the most competitive fares”, including long-haul destinations such as Florida.
You may even want to consider booking a trip in September, which has previously been dubbed as 2026’s ‘super’ travel month. Earlier this year, ABTA released its Travel Trends report for 2026 in which it revealed that September is becoming an increasingly popular month to travel, attributing it to factors such as warmer weather and “good value breaks”, given it falls outside of the peak school holiday seasons.
It’s worth pointing out that if you’re keeping an eye out for deals, some destinations such as the Caribbean and Mexico often have cheaper rates, but that’s because September falls during the rainier seasons, so you are risking that you might not get all of the glorious sunshine you might be dreaming of!
Do you have any good travel hacks to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
