Book affordable last-minute Memorial Day travel at this exact date and time, experts reveal

Memorial Day weekend is coming up quick, and though it's set to break a holiday travel record, it's not too late to book an affordable trip.
Ticket experts at AttractionTickets.com have discovered the best day and time to book a last-minute Memorial Day weekend vacation — and they've got it down to the exact hour.
3 It's not too late to book Memorial Day travel.
ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images
After analyzing pricing data and industry travel trends, they found that the best time to book a getaway is either this Sunday, May 18, specifically at around 6 a.m.
Sunday is the most cost-effective day of the week to book your trip since airlines tend to drop new and discounted fares and adjust their inventory over the weekend.
3 Experts found that the best time to book a getaway is either this Sunday, May 18 at around 6 a.m.
Prostock-studio – stock.adobe.com
'It's a common misconception that booking earlier always guarantees the best prices,' Oliver Brendon, CEO of AttractionTickets.com said in a statement.
'The reality is that airlines regularly adjust their fares based on demand, and savvy travelers can benefit from these fluctuations even just a week ahead of departure.'
3 Sunday is the most cost-effective day of the week to book your trip.Experts noted that people going on holiday should avoid booking on Fridays, which is when fares tend to increase due to demand. Booking on a Sunday can save globetrotters up to 23% compared to booking on a Friday, they said.
They also said that they have noticed 'consistent trends' that booking a flight in the early morning has been the best time to get a low fare. Around 6 a.m. is often when fresh fares are dropped and airlines adjust pricing algorithms before the search traffic for the day takes off.
'If you're still looking to book a Memorial Day trip, we recommend getting online early on the morning of Sunday 18th May, or Sunday 25th May if you're feeling particularly risky,' the experts revealed.
'These dates fall just a week before the long weekend, giving families just enough time to prepare while still capitalizing on some of the best available pricing.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

National Geographic

8 hours ago

• National Geographic

7 of the best things to do on the Amalfi Coast

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK). A landscape of extreme verticality, where gelato-hued houses and terraced gardens cling to sea-facing cliffs, this strip of Southern Italy is justly famed for its beauty. Long a source of inspiration for writers and artists — from 19th-century composer Richard Wagner to Patricia Highsmith, who set her novel The Talented Mr Ripley here — the entire area is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ravello, Amalfi and Positano are its most celebrated towns, and stretching between the latter two is the 30-mile strada statale 163 Amalfitana (SS163), which curves precipitously past an endless series of captivating vistas. It's best to visit off-peak to avoid traffic jams — and overcrowding more generally. April or May is the time to catch spring flowers, while October benefits from warmer seas and seasonal mushrooms on restaurant menus. 1. Wander clifftop gardens in Ravello Sitting high on the hillside, with no port or beach, Ravello is the least visited of the Amalfi Coast's triumvirate of famous towns — and all the nicer for it. Villa Rufolo hosts an annual classical music festival, but is worth visiting year-round. Spend time admiring the property's hand-painted tiles and Murano glass chandeliers before climbing the 13th-century tower for sweeping views over its cascade of ornamental flowerbeds. The gardens of Villa Cimbrone, a 10-minute walk away along steep, cobbled lanes, are even more impressive. With pockets of lush planting, tree-lined avenues and wisteria-laden pergolas spread across 14.8 acres, their beauty reaches a pinnacle at the ethereal Infinity Terrace, where classical statues peer out over the Mediterranean. Vila Rufolo in Ravello is one of the Amalfi Coast's most recognisable sights. Photograph by ezypix; Getty Images 2. Explore by boat Some of the area's best views are to be found out on the water — and travelling the Amalfi Coast using its extensive ferry network is often the quickest option, too, allowing you to circumvent congestion on its one coastal road. The towns of Amalfi and Positano have frequent boat services, as do Sorrento and Salerno, but there are also myriad connections between smaller destinations — use Ferryhopper to check timetables and prebook tickets. The comparatively under-the-radar town of Cetara is well worth exploring, as is Maiori, home to the region's longest beach. Campania's ceramics capital, Vietri sul Mare, is the best place to pick up artisanal souvenirs — everything from hand-painted decorative tiles to plant pots shaped like human heads. 3. Find peace in Amalfi's cathedral The architecture in Amalfi town is a striking reminder of its past glory — between the ninth and 12th centuries, this was the heart of a maritime republic to rival Venice. Today its narrow streets throng with visitors from April to October — but pay €3 (£2.50) for a ticket to enter the Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea, and you'll discover an altogether quieter atmosphere. Begin at the aptly named Paradise Cloister, where pointed archways surround a courtyard garden filled with lofty palms, before descending to gaze at the ornately patterned columns and muralled ceilings of the crypt. Don't bother with a sit-down lunch afterwards — instead, pick up a paper cone of deep-fried calamari or courgette flowers from street food outlet Cuoppo d'Amalfi. The medieval Cattedrale di Sant'Andrea stands at the heart of Amalfi. Photograph by Malcolm P Chapman; Getty Images 4. Walk the Path of the Gods Surely one of Italy's most scenic day hikes, Il Sentiero degli dei unfolds 2,070ft above sea level, offering the kind of views Icarus must've enjoyed right before the sun melted his wings. Begin in Positano and it's a 1,700-step climb to Nocelle and your first reward: a lemon granita, accompanied by the sight of awesome tufo stone bluffs descending to the sparkling waters of the Tyrrhenian. The path — around four miles long — then meanders through shady woodlands and sunny lemon orchards before reaching the village of Agerola, where a ceramic plaque records D H Lawrence's poetic precis of the route. Completing it takes between three and five hours, depending on pace and which way you choose tackle the path. 5. Discover an underground archaeological site The classic postcard image of Positano features the colourfully tiled dome of Chiesa di Santa Maria Assunta but few realise that, beneath the church, lies a hidden Roman villa. Buried in volcanic matter during the CE 79 eruption of Vesuvius that also submerged Pompeii, this grand private residence was rediscovered two millennia later and finally opened to the public in 2018. Access is via a small group tour; book onto the last slot of the day and you may have its extraordinarily well-preserved frescoes — featuring real and fantastical beasts, plus scenes from classical mythology — largely to yourself. Also eerily fascinating is an adjacent 18th-century burial chamber, once used for the mummification of members of the local social elite. 6. Shop and sunbathe in Sorrento Although strictly speaking not on the Amalfi Coast but the Sorrentine Peninsula, the latter's namesake resort makes for a delightful day trip, possessing a scale and sense of space that the area's smaller towns lack. Begin with a stroll along Corso Italia, a tree-lined and pedestrianised shopping street, before settling in for a pasta lunch of gnocchi alla sorrentina at L'Abate, a restaurant well placed for people-watching on Piazza Sant'Antonino. You'll need a lie-down after this, so pay €1.20 (£1) for a ticket to board the elevator down to the strip of sand at Marina Grande, where beach clubs like Bagni Sant'Anna rent out deckchairs and parasols for sunbathing on the pier. Charming Villa Treville in Positano is set among spectacular gardens that look out to the Tyrrhenian Sea. Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello (Top) (Left) and Photograph by Umberto D'Aniello (Bottom) (Right) 7. Stay at the former home of a cinematic legend Film director Franco Zeffirelli's guests at Villa Treville included Liza Minnelli and Elizabeth Taylor, and those staying at this serene, sea-facing property (now a hotel) today will no doubt feel they've ascended to the A-list. Guests are collected from the ferry dock at Positano by private boat — also available for trips to nearby islands like Ischia and Capri – before checking into one of 16 spacious suites. The property's look — epitomised by the Ripley-esque bathing deck and art- and sculpture-filled social spaces — is one of restrained theatricality, while service is informal but attentive. The charming mixologist at white-tiled Bianca Bar serves crisp, citrussy martinis, while terrace restaurant Maestro's is made for languorous al fresco meals, its lantern-dotted tables setting the scene for Romeo and Juliet-level romance. The Amalfi Coast is served by two airports — Salerno's is closest, but a wider range of carriers fly from the UK to Naples. From here it's a 1h40 minute bus ride to the gateway town of Sorrento. Travel onwards by ferry to Positano (40 minutes) or Amalfi (1h30). Stay at Villa Treville, from €747 (£636), room only. This story was created with the support of Villa Treville. To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).

Boston Globe

21 hours ago

• Boston Globe

Nearly 62 million Americans will hit the road over July 4, AAA predicts

Advertisement 'Because gas prices have been so much lower than this time last year, it's going to be a bit of a rise, but there's no indication we will hit where we were last summer,' said Aixa Diaz, an AAA spokesperson. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Even with the increase in road trips, gasoline demand isn't projected to get a significant boost as vehicles' improving fuel efficiency curbs consumption. Demand — which was down about 1 percent from last year as of last week — will decline this year and next, and retail gasoline prices will drop across most of the US through the end of 2026, according to the Energy Information Administration. Oil prices had slumped for much of this year as OPEC and its allies revived supply faster than expected and US President Donald Trump's trade war weighed on the outlook for demand. Those dynamics had helped keep gasoline prices in check, but now hostilities between Iran and Israel are emerging as key drivers of the market, raising fears of disruption to crude production and a potential blockage of the Strait of Hormuz. Advertisement The surge in oil prices from the Israel-Iran conflict is 'setting the stage for additional price hikes at gas pumps across the country,' said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. 'Motorists should prepare for what will likely be modest price increases — for now — but the situation has the potential to worsen at any moment.' While road trips are the most popular form of travel, a record 5.84 million people are expected to fly during the holiday period as well, up 1.4 percent from last year, AAA said. The slower growth for air travel is a consequence of rising costs, with a round-trip domestic flight averaging $810, 4 percent more than last year, the group said. Still, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 3 million passengers in a single day over the Memorial Day holiday, nearing its busiest day ever.

Newsweek

a day ago

• Newsweek

Jordan Spieth WD at Travelers a Blessing in Disguise for Wife, Annie

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Just hours after expressing confidence in his form and excitement for the week ahead, Jordan Spieth stunned the golf world by withdrawing mid-round from the 2025 Travelers Championship on Thursday. The three-time major winner, who had never previously withdrawn from a professional event in 297 career PGA Tour starts, cited a sudden upper back and neck injury that flared up during his warm-up at TPC River Highlands. Jordan Spieth has withdrawn from the Travelers Championship. 😢 — Spieth Tracker (@Spieth_Tracker) June 19, 2025 "Everything was great in my gym session, and I've been very, very excited to go out and play," Spieth said post-round. "Things have been getting better and better, and then my right scap just kind of locked -- like tightened midway through the warmup," "I just kept hitting, and then all of a sudden it was moving up, everything around it started to -- and then it was over the left and then it was like everything, so I stopped." Despite trying to push through the pain, Spieth was 5-over through 12 holes, visibly grimacing after swings and using a massage gun between shots, per Golf Channel's George Savaricas. After a tee shot on the 13th hole caused a sharp jolt, he turned to his caddie Michael Greller and said, "I'm done. Can't do it. I'm sorry." While the WD is a disappointing turn for fans, it may come as a hidden blessing for someone much closer to home—his wife, Annie. AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 05: Jordan Spieth of the United States looks on with his wife, Annie Verret Spieth and son, Sammy Spieth walk off the first hole during the Par 3 contest prior to... AUGUSTA, GEORGIA - APRIL 05: Jordan Spieth of the United States looks on with his wife, Annie Verret Spieth and son, Sammy Spieth walk off the first hole during the Par 3 contest prior to the 2023 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 05, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by) More Getty Images The 31-year-old revealed during the press conference that the couple is expecting their third child in early July and that this unexpected time off may allow him to be fully present with his family. "We're having a baby here in a couple weeks, so I'll have some time off now, obviously, to get healthy," Spieth said. This echoes his earlier confirmation during a February 2025 appearance on The Smylie Show podcast, where he said, "We have a third coming in July, so it's busy." The timing of the injury is unfortunate given how strongly Spieth felt about his chances at Travelers. "This was 10 out of 12 for me and I was looking at this being the strongest one," he said. A look back at Spieth's first round A look back at Spieth's first round shows how things quickly unraveled. He opened with promise but bogeyed the 1st, 6th, and 7th holes, then dropped two more strokes on the back nine before withdrawing. "I was just going to try to see if I could somehow get through at even," he said. "But then I hit my tee shot on 13, and it legitimately really hurt." The injury, which he suspects stemmed from sleeping in an awkward position, was described as "very random" and unrelated to overexertion. Despite the frustration, Spieth remains upbeat. After a painful tee shot on the 13th hole, Spieth walked off, handed his scorecard to playing partner Luke Clanton, and was carted back to the clubhouse. He'll still receive last-place earnings from the limited-field, no-cut event—but won't collect any FedExCup points, per Tour rules. With no plans to add another tournament before The Open next month, the Texan now turns his focus to rest, recovery and fatherhood. Annie Spieth might just get the best kind of unexpected gift this week: her husband, home and healthy, for what really matters next. More Golf: Jordan Spieth Crushes Beers and Wings to Get Over U.S. Open Misery