Planuary: Why January and February are your secret weapons for 2026 travel

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Planuary: Why January and February are your secret weapons for 2026 travel

The confetti has been swept up, the champagne flutes are back in the cabinet, and — ugh — everyone is circling back. You’ve probably already broken half of your resolutions, but here’s one resolution you can actually keep: booking the travel of your dreams while everyone else is still recovering from their holiday hangover.

Welcome to Planuary — that magical window when smart travelers turn their biggest vacation dreams into a locked-in reality.

The January-February travel surge

In a recent point.me survey, 61% of travelers who haven’t yet booked their 2026 trips plan to do so in January or February. From December 2024 to January 2025, Google searches for “flight deals” skyrocketed by more than 600%.

The January surge is real, and it’s transcending generations, income levels, and travel styles.

When people expect to plan their 2026 trips

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Why everyone’s suddenly a January-February planner

When the survey asked why people book their major trips during Planuary, two reasons rose to the top.

32% said they desperately need something to look forward to. Let’s be honest: January can feel like the Monday of months. The decorations are down, the parties are over, and the weather is often not conducive to doing much other than curling up on a couch with a warm blanket. Booking a summer beach escape or a fall European adventure? That’s the emotional espresso shot you need to power through the rest of winter.

20% said they’re hoping to snag better prices and availability, and another 16% are looking for post-holiday deals. These are the pragmatists, the spreadsheet enthusiasts, the people who know that the early bird doesn’t just get the worm, it also gets the lie-flat business class seat to Tokyo.

Both groups are onto something big.

Why people like to plan early in the year

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4 reasons Planuary is your travel superpower

1. The entire year is open for booking

Airlines typically open their booking windows around 330 days in advance. Book in late January or early February, and you’ve got access to the full year’s inventory. Want to snag those July 4th weekend flights to Hawai’i? December holiday seats to visit family? That random Tuesday in September when flight prices inexplicably drop? It’s all there, waiting for you.

Think of it as having first pick at the world’s biggest travel buffet. Show up late, and you’re stuck with the sad, picked-over options nobody wanted.

2. Summer and December cash fares are at their sweet spot

Here’s where timing becomes everything.

For cash flights, the best fares for international flights typically appear two to eight months before departure, but when it comes to peak periods like summer and the December holidays, that window can extend to three to 11 months. Book in January or February, and you’re hitting the end of that ideal window for summer travel and just getting into the ideal timing for December flights, so it doesn’t hurt to start the research process now.

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Great domestic cash fares can sometimes be found closer to departure (one to three months out), but summer and the December holidays are both peak seasons, so again, starting earlier and looking six to eight or more months out is not a bad idea. If you’re not flexible on dates or destination, waiting is a gamble — and the house often wins.

3. December award seats are at peak availability, and you can grab summer award flights before they’re gone

Want to fly home for the holidays in business class or skip the holiday hoopla for a week exploring European Christmas markets without paying for flights? Booking in January or February is your best bet for finding the flight you want at the points fare you want to pay.

Airlines typically release premium cabin award space 11-12 months before departure. The easiest time to find those coveted cheap award tickets is nine to 12 months out. Miss this window for December travel, and you might still be able to find a great deal later (additional award seats sometimes get released at the last minute), but you also have a good chance of spending more points than you wanted or having to choose from very limited options.

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For summer award fares, the clock is ticking. The absolute best time to book summer award seats was actually months ago when availability first opened. But the next best time? Right now, before every other points enthusiast snaps them up. Many airlines only make a limited number of seats available for points bookings, and premium cabins go especially fast.

4. Your credit card bonuses are landing now

Remember that credit card you opened in the fall to rack up points on holiday shopping? Well, congratulations: Your welcome bonus is hitting your account right about now (or very soon).

Most credit card sign-up bonuses post when your statement closes after meeting the minimum spend requirement. For October cardholders who maxed out their holiday spending, that means points are arriving right… about… now. And they’re arriving just in time to book the year’s best travel opportunities.

It’s like the universe is conspiring in your favor. Don’t fight it.

5. It’s a great time to open a new card and get a full year of benefits

If you didn’t open a new card in late 2025 (or you’ve got room in your wallet for another), January and February are ideal times to apply. Here’s why.

Maximize annual credits from day one. Many premium cards now offer substantial annual and monthly credits. We’re talking $300 in annual travel credits, monthly dining or streaming credits, free checked bags, and lounge access. Open a card in January, and you get 12 full months to use these perks before the next annual fee hits. Open it in June, and you’ve already lost a good chunk of value.

Turn tax season into points season. If you have quarterly tax payments or expect a large tax bill, putting those payments on your new card (yes, you can pay the IRS with a credit card) can help you hit minimum spend requirements quickly. Even with processing fees, earning a 100,000-point welcome bonus that’s worth over $2,000 in travel can make the math work in your favor.

How to win at Planuary

Ready to join the 61% making the smart move to book their 2026 trips in the next two months? Here’s your game plan.

Start stalking flights early. Even if you’re not ready to commit, begin tracking prices in January. You’ll learn the patterns, spot the deals, and know when to pounce. Price tracking tools on Google Flights for cash fares make this painless.

Flexibility is your friend. Specific dates can vary wildly in price. Being flexible by even a day or two can save you hundreds. If you can, be flexible with your departure and destination cities, too. For example, if you live in Milwaukee, check flights from Chicago to see if you can save by adding in a short drive, or if you want to visit Edinburgh, Scotland, look at flights to London; from there, you can hop a quick flight to the Scottish capital for under $100.

Book award travel first, ask questions later. Using points? Book those flights before they vanish into the ether. Most airlines have reasonable change and cancellation policies for award tickets, so you can book with confidence now and adjust later if plans shift. Better to have the seat and not need it than need the seat and watch someone else book it.

Let technology do the heavy lifting. Set up price alerts. Let the robots watch for fare drops while you do literally anything else with your time. You’re welcome.

The real reason Planuary matters

Yes, the practical benefits are compelling: better prices, more availability, strategic timing. But let’s talk about the deeper magic here.

After the holiday whirlwind, January can feel empty. The excitement is over, the next big thing feels far away, and you’re staring down the barrel of months of… regular life.

Having concrete travel plans changes everything. Suddenly, you’ve got something to research, dream about, and anticipate. You’re not just surviving winter, you’re training for your summer hiking trip. You’re not just enduring work, you’re saving for that once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

That 32% of people who said they book in January and February because they need something to look forward to? They understand that travel isn’t just about the destination. It’s about the delicious anticipation, the planning phase, the countdown. And they aren’t alone. Multiple studies over the last two decades have shown that travel makes people happy, that having something to look forward to brings joy, and that a large portion of the happiness that comes from traveling comes from the anticipation of the trip, rather than the trip itself.

Booking in Planuary gives you more months of joy before you ever board a plane.

The bottom line

January and February represent a perfect storm of travel planning opportunity: full flight availability, optimal summer pricing, critical holiday award space, and freshly posted credit card bonuses. Planuary isn’t just a catchy name. It’s a strategy, a mindset, and your best chance at making 2026 the year of incredible travel.

This story was produced by point.me and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.