The one thing we all want to know

Booking cheap flights and hotels isn't the only way to save when travelling.

Yep, it’s this simple.

IT’S no secret booking your flights in advance can help you save, but now there’s a formula to get the timing right for the cheapest possible flights.

The right timing can help you save almost $500 on average on a flight to the US.

And the right timing to book a flight to the US, according to the number crunchers at Skyscanner, is 28 weeks in advance.

The flight search site analysed more than 250 million flight prices from the past three years to come up with ideal booking times.

If a mid year trip to Thailand or Japan is on the cards, the time to book is now; flights are best booked 20 and 21 weeks in advance.

Booking ages in advance isn’t always the smartest approach. For flights to New Zealand, the best time for the cheapest deal is a relatively last-minute six weeks.

Skyscanner’s analysis found domestic flights are best booked with plenty of notice — to get the cheapest flight to Perth you need to book 15 weeks in advance from Melbourne and 12 weeks from Sydney.

Overall, the cheapest time to fly is in November. The dearest month, unsurprisingly, is December.

Yep, it’s this simple.Source:Supplied

BEST TIME TO BOOK FLIGHTS FROM AUSTRALIA — AND AVERAGE SAVINGS

New Zealand — 6 weeks — save $37 (6%)

Malaysia — 10 weeks — save $65 (8%)

Singapore — 11 weeks — save $82 (9%)

Indonesia — 12 weeks — save $42 (6%)

UK — 15 weeks — save $119 (5%)

India — 18 weeks — save $104 (8%)

Thailand — 20 weeks — save $51 (5%)

Japan — 21 weeks — save $166 (12%)

US — 28 weeks — save $465 (23%)

China — 30 weeks — save $231 (18%)

Overall average cheapest time to book flights — 17 weeks in advance

BEST TIME TO BOOK AUSTRALIAN DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Gold Coast — Melbourne — 20 weeks

Perth — Sydney — 12 weeks

Perth — Melbourne — 15 weeks

Brisbane — Sydney — 11 weeks

Brisbane — Melbourne — 5 weeks

Melbourne — Sydney — 4 weeks

Source: Skyscanner.com.au. Prices indicated are actual fares paid by travellers when flight fares were the cheapest and the percentage savings indicated are compared to the average price paid for the route over the past three years.