Book your Christmas travel now to avoid soaring ticket prices

GOING away over the Christmas break? If you want to avoid sky-high airfares, you need to book before a certain date. And it's just around the corner.

Unshackle yourself from the office this summer ... but get in quick for cheap flights.

IF YOU are anything like us, you're already dreaming of summer.

A trip home for Christmas, an escape to the beach, a noisy musical festival in a far-flung city - the perfect summer getaway will help you forget about your overflowing inbox or the New Year's resolutions you swore to.

But if you're planning a summertime sojourn, you'd better get into planning mode, stat.

There's a sweet spot on the calendar that gives switched-on travellers the cheapest deals on airfares ... and it's looming.

According to Travelocity, you should book your flights before November 12 (that's next Tuesday!) or risk a dearer fare as the Yuletide approaches.

They've collated three years' worth of airfare data to work out the average cost of domestic and international flights in the lead-up to Chrissy.

Here are the average prices of domestic flights:

7 weeks before Christmas: Nov. 6 - Nov. 12 $320.00

6 weeks before Christmas: Nov. 13 - Nov. 19 $352.00

5 weeks before Christmas: Nov. 20 - Nov. 26 $392.00

4 weeks before Christmas: Nov. 27 - Dec. 3 $341.00

3 weeks before Christmas: Dec. 4 - Dec. 10 $313.00

2 weeks before Christmas: Dec. 11 - Dec. 17 $363.00

1 week before Christmas: Dec. 18 - Dec. 24 $438.00

As you can see, if you leave your booking until the very last minute, you're in for a serious hip-pocket hit.

Whereas if you book now, you'll have cash left over to spend on presents.

Interestingly, there's a noticeable dip in early December, but do you really want to leave it that late and risk not getting a seat on the flight you want?

Best get booking.

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