Here's why you need to book holiday travel this week

DENVER (KDVR) -- October is more than halfway over. That means it is time to get serious about booking your holiday travel.

In fact, travel site Hopper said that Oct. 10-20 is the sweet spot for getting the best prices on holiday travel.

"Demand for holiday flights is still relatively low in mid-October, meaning airlines have lowered prices and deals and promotions are available on many top routes. Searches and bookings for holiday flights will begin to surge in late October and prices will begin to spike," Hopper said.

Thanksgiving travel

Hopper said flights for Thanksgiving are up 24% since last year. The average price for a ticket this week is around $290. That price will increase by $10 per day from the end of October through Thanksgiving, the site estimated.

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Last-minute tickets are expected to peak at an average of $450.

According to travel site The Vacationer, these are the best departure dates for Thanksgiving travel:

• Nov. 21
• Nov. 22
• Nov. 24

And these are the best return dates:

• Nov. 25
• Nov. 28
• Nov. 29

If you have a limited travel schedule, these are the two days you will want to avoid traveling on:

• Nov. 23 and Nov. 27

The Vacationer said flying on those days will be busy and expensive.

Christmas travel

When it comes to traveling for Christmas, Hopper said that tickets are up 53% when compared to last year.

"Airfare will rise slowly into November, before spiking $10 or more per day from mid-November until the holiday and is expected to peak at over $580 for last-minute tickets," Hopper explained.

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According to The Vacationer, these are the best departure dates for Christmas travel:

• Dec. 18
• Dec. 19
• Dec. 20
• Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

These are the best return dates, according to The Vacationer:

• Dec. 28
• Dec. 29
• Dec. 30

If you have a limited travel schedule, these are the days you will want to avoid traveling on:

• Dec. 22
• Dec. 23
• Dec. 26
• Dec. 27

The Vacationer said flying on those days at Christmas time will be the busiest and priciest.

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