6 Ways To Get the Best Deals on Winter Travel in 2025
Escape the winter blahs by planning a snowy retreat, exploring an old-world city or a warm weather adventure. Savvy travelers can take advantage of off-peak prices, reward programs or flexibility in scoring winter escapes without breaking the bank.
Explore More: 5 Google Flights Tricks To Help You Land the Cheapest Holiday Airfare
Check Out: 4 Subtly Genius Moves All Wealthy People Make With Their Money
Here are six ways to get the best deals on winter travel in 2025.
Travel Off-Season
While warmer destinations like Mexico are more expensive during winter months, other destinations like Europe have great deals during the winter months, said Kendyl Grender, a budget travel expert and owner of Grender Travels.
“Europe is always on sale in the winter months,” Grender said. “If you’re traveling from a major hub, you can find deeply-discounted flights — like less than $400 roundtrip.
“One of my personal favorites to visit in the winter is Spain, which has fantastic hotel prices and a lot of flights with great deals, too.”
Trending Now: 10 Airline Rewards Programs That Provide the Most Value for Your Points
Book in Advance
There’s still time to get winter deals on domestic travel by booking one to three months ahead, said Alexandra Dubakova, a travel advisor and chief marketing officer at Freetour.
“It is better to book after peak season and major sales periods like Black Friday for better deals,” Dubakova said. “In December 2024, Icelandair launched post-Christmas sales with roundtrip flights to Reykjavik for less than $300. You get discounted rates for both flights and accommodations due to a temporary decline in demand.”
Be Intentional (Or Not)
Plan travel with intention or be spontaneous to get the best deal on winter travel.
“Either commit to booking early, knowing it’s the off-season, and reach out to the hotel or vacation rental owner and ask for a deal,” said David Ciccarelli, CEO and founder of Lake.com, a vacation rental platform.
“Alternatively, you can wait until the absolute last minute,” he continued. “Websites like Whimstay and HotelTonight specialize in last-minute accommodations. You have the leverage here because once the night has passed, that available room has no value.
“Pick your destination, then be ready to jump on a last-minute deal, typically the day of.”
Be Flexible
Flexibility is the best travel hack.
For example, many airlines allow travelers to set flexible dates, usually within one to three days of preferred travel dates. Look for the checkbox on airline search engines, Ciccarelli said.
“It may just save you some money by selecting travel dates mid-week,” Ciccarelli said.
Travel on Tuesdays or Wednesdays when the prices are lower. Consumers can also save hundreds of dollars by traveling through smaller airports, Dubakova said.
“Flexibility like flying to Manchester instead of London will help you save,” Dubakova said. “Use flight tools like Google Flights or Skyscanner to visualize your options and know about price drops on certain routes.”
Stack Benefits
Stacking benefits can also help make travel more affordable during winter months. For example, redeem miles for flights and use credit card points to cover accommodations.
“Airlines release unsold awards seats a few weeks before departure, and January is a great time to find these deals,” Dubakova said. “Sign up for airline newsletters to know when they offer double or triple miles for winter promotions.”
In addition, Grender said travelers often overlook the value of their travel points, particularly travel rewards cards.
“Oftentimes, they don’t know that they can transfer their points to the bank’s transfer partners to ger more value,” Grender said.
While it might be confusing at first, Grender said, airlines partner with other companies and can sell award seats at a set price.
“This means that you could book a flight with Air Canada for a United flight for just 12,500 points to Costa Rica,” Grender said. “That’s better than the 20,000 points United sells the same seat for.”
2025 Travel Incentives
Ciccarelli said now is the best time to take advantage of winter travel deals because airlines and hotels are offering incentives for 2025 travel. After all, they want to generate revenue by getting bookings early.
“If you haven’t received emails yet, log in to your favorite airline, hotel or vacation rental website to see if any special offers are available,” Ciccarelli said. “Deals don’t last forever.”
More From GOBankingRates
Costco, Walmart and Other Stores With Perks Retirees Need To Be Taking Advantage Of
5 Subtly Genius Moves All Wealthy People Make With Their Money
3 Ways a Balance Transfer Helps You Manage Debt (And How Much it Could Save You)
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 6 Ways To Get the Best Deals on Winter Travel in 2025
