Booking your holiday on a specific day could actually make your trip cheaper when compared to the rest of the week – and it’s good news for those who want short breaks
There’s a lot to think about when it comes to booking a holiday. Once you’ve chosen where you’d like to go, you have to consider what time of year you’d like to travel, how long you want to go for, and whether you want an all-inclusive resort holiday or want to get out and experience a new culture.
But what you might not have considered before is the exact day of the week you want to fly out. Most people will either pick the start of the week if they’ve taken time off from work, or will opt to travel on the weekend in order to squeeze a couple of extra days out of their trip.
According to one travel expert, however, travelling on specific days of the week could actually make your holiday cheaper or more expensive – and it’s not always a good idea to avoid the weekends.
A holiday expert named Rob, who is an insider for On The Beach, shared a TikTok video in which he looked through the On The Beach data for 2026 holidays and found that some days of the week are cheaper to travel on.
He stipulated that the data he looked at was specifically for couples’ holidays in 2026, but said that “it goes to show that picking the right date can save you a lot of money”.
Rob ran through the days of the week, starting with the most expensive day to travel – Wednesday.
Explaining why this is, he said: “It’s probably because midweek flights are packed with business travellers, so that pushes the price up, especially on short-haul flights. So that’s your baseline, and one to avoid if you can.”
Next, saving just 1% in comparison to Wednesday, is Tuesday, and the third most expensive day to travel is Saturday. Sunday is marginally cheaper as the middle day on the list, coming in at the fourth cheapest and fourth most expensive.
Speaking about Sunday, Rob said: “Sunday gives you about a 5% saving versus Wednesday. Not to be sniffed at, 5% can be a big difference. Hotels love a Sunday check-in, [as there are] quieter lobbies and fewer crowds, and often, because of this, [there are] lower rates. Plus, you skip the weekend airport chaos.”
The third cheapest day to travel is actually a Monday, as Rob said people “tend to hate the idea” of travelling on a Monday on a psychological level, as it reminds people of going to work.
Second place went to Thursday, as you miss out on the weekend rush, but coming in first place, and saving a whopping 13% compared to those travelling on Wednesday, is actually Friday.
While travelling on a Friday might seem like it would be expensive because it’s so popular, Rob said that’s actually why it’s cheap – as there are more flights and more package deals available.
He said: “There are more flights. Airlines put on more leisure routes because there’s more demand, which means prices get driven down. It’s also the day most hotels want you to check in, meaning more package deals, more discounts, and overall better value.”
Rob ended his video by stating that his data is “foolproof” and booking a holiday on a Friday won’t always work out cheaper, but it’s certainly worth a look if you’re planning a holiday for 2026.