Heidi Walker, general manager of Flight Centre, adds that travellers should fly off-peak if possible. <\/p>\n
\u201cSteering clear of peak travel windows like school holidays, July, and mid-December to January is the best way to secure sharper fares,\u201d says Walker.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom an airfare perspective, the cheapest time to travel is generally outside those windows. Travelling mid-week \u2013 typically Tuesday to Thursday \u2013 helps avoid the weekend surcharges, as well as saving on accommodation costs.\u201d <\/p>\n
If you can only travel during peak times, Walker suggests booking as far in advance as possible, as both flights and resorts quickly run out of capacity. She noted flights are usually available just under a year out.<\/p>\n
\u201cTalk to your travel expert about available deals and packages, as well as bonus inclusions like transfers or breakfast. Booking early when sales are live could be the best thing you do for your getaway,\u201d says Walker.<\/p>\n
The same rule applies to accommodation \u2013 don\u2019t leave booking hotel rooms to the last minute. Booking.com\u2019s area manager for New Zealand, Melissa Ellison, says: \u201cAs a general rule, booking accommodation two to three months before your trip gives you the best rates and availability, or even four to five months ahead if you\u2019re looking at busy destinations like Queenstown, Rotorua, Bali, or Rarotonga.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australia<\/p>\n
Go when it\u2019s cold is the message. \u201cAustralia often sees lower airfares in winter,\u201d says Walker. <\/p>\n
Fordyce agrees. \u201cAustralian cities, particularly Sydney and Melbourne, are cheapest over the winter months from June to September,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
School holidays<\/p>\n
According to Fordyce, Queensland offers the best value for school holidays when compared to other holiday hotspots. \u201cBut it\u2019s still considered peak period and prices reflect that,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur tip for the July school holiday period is to book your trip to the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast in the second week of the holidays when Queensland and Victoria students are back at school.<\/p>\n
\u201cApril school holidays are typically cheaper for those wanting a Tropical North Queensland and Whitsundays break, with the weather transitioning from the wet season to dry season. You can expect temperatures to be warm and more humid, but the rainforest is sensational during this time, and it\u2019s the best time for sailing and exploring the reef.\u201d<\/p>\n
For winter lovers, the July break offers great opportunities for a getaway, says Ellison. \u201cWhether that\u2019s skiing in Queenstown or a warm escape to Fiji,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe September-October holidays are ideal for Pacific travel, with lower humidity and competitive off-peak pricing before the Christmas rush.\u201d<\/p>\n
If looking at the Pacific Islands over the school holidays, Vanuatu and New Caledonia could be good options.<\/p>\n
\u201cVanuatu is one of the more affordable Pacific Island holiday options, and New Caledonia is great for families, with a good variety of apartment and suite style accommodation on offer,\u201d says Fordyce.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth destinations had challenges in 2024 [earthquakes and riots] and have been in recovery mode in 2025, but they\u2019re ready and welcoming visitors now. We\u2019re starting to see some competitive deals from resorts in both destinations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cruises<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recommend that if you are looking for a great deal, book your cruise early,\u201c House of Travel states on its website.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome cruise lines offer great incentives for early booking travellers. There could be things like complimentary room category upgrades, bonuses and discounted prices.<\/p>\n
Bear in mind that cruise pricing reflects supply and demand, House of Travel noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe more demand there is for a particular cruise, the higher the price will be. Demand could be determined by factors such as the destination, seasons & duration of the cruise holiday.\u201d<\/p>\n
Business travel<\/p>\n
Kate Rawnsley, from Orbit World Travel, says flexibility and booking in advance will be key for business travellers looking to stretch their budgets in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cAirfares are dynamic, so plan early and book as far out as possible,\u201d she suggests. \u201cIf you can be flexible on your travel dates and times and think strategically about how you travel, those small decisions can add up to big savings.<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically, Tuesday and Thursday flights are cheaper than Mondays or Fridays, and avoiding peak periods such as weekends, school holidays, or when major events like Fieldays in Hamilton or a Coldplay concert in T\u0101maki Makaurau are on can save you even more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rawnsley adds that while professionals are back travelling since the years of Covid lockdowns and meetings via Zoom, there is a focus on ROI and ways to make trips cost-effective.<\/p>\n
\u201cMulti-day business trips, where travellers combine multiple meetings, sometimes across several destinations, have become a popular way to maximise value and productivity,\u201d says Rawnsley. <\/p>\n
\u201cMany are also adding a few extra nights to their business trips to enjoy the destination which is a trend known as \u2018bleisure\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Heidi Walker, general manager of Flight Centre, adds that travellers should fly off-peak if possible. \u201cSteering clear of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214112,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[2246,129572,14740,2108,27126,138,129570,112903,8985,3026,5658,793,1866,129571,10938,78,8454,2454,794,111,139,69,113167,35021,3333,44970,223,2044,14005,3765,61,274,28377,80],"class_list":["post-214111","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-2246","tag-acutely","tag-airfares","tag-book","tag-break","tag-business","tag-cheapest","tag-deserving","tag-era","tag-especially","tag-experts","tag-felt","tag-find","tag-geographically","tag-herald","tag-in","tag-including","tag-industry","tag-isolated","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-pinch","tag-postcovid","tag-price","tag-spoke","tag-the","tag-time","tag-times","tag-tips","tag-to","tag-travel","tag-tricks","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214111","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214111"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214111\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214111"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214111"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214111"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}