One of the most inexpensive vacation destinations for people living in the United States is their northern neighbor. Canada is a cultural oasis filled with fun and interesting things for tourists to see and do. With the cheap flights to Canada and the strength of the U.S. dollar, it can be a great place to spend a few days. Planning a weekend or weekday break to Canada is easy.
As with most airline travel, there are certain days of the week and times of year when flying to Canada is cheaper. Most airlines will offer you cheap flights to Canada if you are going to stay overnight on a Saturday. This used to be an absolute rule and it still largely is true. However, some airlines are recognizing that hotel stays are more expensive over the weekend, so they are a bit more lax on the Saturday stay rule. If you do a few online searches with different airlines, you'll be able to tell who offers the lowest rates on which dates of the week. Once you know that you can start looking at hotel offers.
Many of us are inclined to take our vacation days when the kids have time off school. This works well because it means they don't have to miss extra days and the vacation can occur when it's most convenient for them. There are a couple of problems with this approach and one is that you aren't likely to find cheap flights to Canada at the busiest travel times of the year. These generally include some time in March that is deemed spring break, the summer months and late December. You can expect to pay premium prices for air fare during these weeks.
Instead, consider taking a trip when the child has a Friday or Monday off school. Many schools plan these in-school breaks independent of other schools, so it's not likely to be a heavy travel day. If you do this you can take a long weekend trip to Canada and still not pay the higher priced air fare rates. You are likely to find cheap flights to Canada that can accommodate you on the weekend you want to go.
Also, try and book reasonably early. Many people wait until the last minute to arrange their travel. There is a hard and fast rule that states that airfares jump if they are purchased within two weeks of departure. If you know you are going to be going six or eight weeks from now, you can purchase cheap flights to Canada as soon as you spot them. This type of pre-planning can really save a nice chunk of change.
In addition to using the discount travel sites that we've all become very familiar with, consider calling the airlines directly too. Often they have unadvertised specials and you'll find they have the lowest fares anywhere. A little research can go a long way when planning a trip.
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