When should you buy flight tickets to get the cheapest prices for the mid-year holidays?
As the mid-year school holidays approach, many Colombian families begin a race against time: finding airline tickets that don't eat up half of their travel budget. The airline landscape in 2025 is marked by increased demand, but also by new opportunities for those who know how to search. The secret? Beyond luck, it's a matter of timing, platforms, and strategy.
A quick search on platforms like Despegar, KAYAK, or Skyscanner reveals what many already suspect: prices rise as June and July approach, but drop sharply in specific weeks. "Travelers who depart in the second week of July could save up to 19% compared to those who travel at the beginning of the month," Carolina Ojeda, KAYAK spokesperson for Latin America, explains to Noticias RCN.
Enjoy extreme sports, museums, and scenery. Photo: iStock
According to La FM radio, March and April are the ideal months to buy tickets for the mid-year holiday season, thanks to promotional events like Hot Sale. Even if those dates have passed, there are still opportunities if you time your trip wisely: KAYAK analysis shows that the week of July 7-13 offers the cheapest international flights of the holiday season.
As for domestic flights, July 11th appears to be the day with the cheapest tickets of the month: an average of $348,719 one way. July 10th and 13th are next, according to data from the flight comparison platform.
Tickets are available for several international routes. Photo: iStock
The most popular international destinations for Colombians this season are Cancun, Madrid, Miami, New York, and Lima, with a 23% increase in searches to the Caribbean, 14% to Europe, and 12% to South America, compared to the same period in 2024. This was revealed in a recent analysis by Portafolio.
For example, a round-trip flight from Bogotá to Miami on Latam Airlines for the second week of July currently costs around $1,168,000. In contrast, the same trip during the first week of July exceeds $1,400,000. For domestic flights, Avianca offers Bogotá-Medellín routes starting at $120,000, while Medellín-Cartagena can be found from $119,750, depending on how far in advance you book.
Saving Tips: What Works- Shopping in the early morning: Booking between 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. can generate savings of up to 22%, according to an AS.com analysis.
- Choose less-trafficked days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are the days with the least air traffic, which translates into lower prices.
- Avoid buying on Fridays and Sundays: these are the most expensive days to buy tickets, both domestic and international.
Additionally, tools like Google Flights or Skyscanner price alerts allow you to receive notifications when ticket prices drop.
Summer vacations can vary from year to year. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Traveling during the mid-year holidays can be cheaper if you juggle your dates: avoiding the first week of July and opting for mid- or late July is an effective strategy. Buying more than two months in advance is still the best advice, but bargains can still be found for those willing to adjust their itinerary.
And in a context where the dollar remains below $4,000, flying abroad is more viable than in previous years. For many Colombians, 2025 will be the year they finally get that dream trip... without emptying their pockets.
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