The eternal dilemma for travellers: Should one book early for security or wait for a last-minute bargain? The question has never been more difficult to resolve. In 2026, with flight and hotel prices fluctuating wildly by the hour, the decision has become increasingly unpredictable.
According to travel platforms, Indian travellers are responding to this volatility by becoming smarter, more flexible, and heavily reliant on technology to track prices and pounce on the best deals.
A recent Booking.com study reinforces this trend. It reveals that planning takes centre stage for Indian travellers, as three in four (75%) Indian travellers prefer planning a trip themselves. This shift toward self-booking is fundamentally reshaping how Indians reserve flights and hotels.
This new way of travelling is exactly what Latika Redkar does. She is a Manager and Brand Specialist at Madchatter PR who travels often. “I either book flights 3 months in advance or 2 days before, there’s honestly no in-between. Somehow, that strategy has mostly worked for me so far,” she told the FinancialExpress.com.
To get the best options, she uses a mix of apps and direct contact. “I usually use Skyscanner for flights because you can genuinely find some great deals there,” she further shared. However, for accommodations, her approach changes. “For hotels though, I prefer calling them directly instead of booking through apps. Personally, I’ve managed to get much better rates that way.”
Of course, looking for the lowest price does not always go smoothly. She admits that her luck ran out during one specific vacation. “That said, the ‘cheapest flight’ strategy did backfire once during my Bali trip. I booked Malaysia Airlines because it was the cheapest option, and the flight got cancelled both while going and while coming back. But apart from that chaos, things have surprisingly worked out for me most of the time.”
Why hotel prices suddenly fall before check-in
One thing travellers often notice is that hotel rates sometimes become cheaper just before check-in dates. But that does not happen everywhere or every time.
“Price adjustments depend on hotel category, demand patterns, and seasonality,” Mr Kush Kapoor, CEO, Roseate Hotels & Resorts, told FinancialExpress.com.
“Revenue management systems continuously recalibrate rates based on real-time occupancy and demand signals rather than applying blanket last-minute discounts,” he added.
Hotels are constantly monitoring how many rooms are getting booked, what nearby hotels are charging, whether a city is hosting conferences or events and how quickly reservations are coming in.
Kapoor explained that occupancy is one of the biggest pricing drivers, but several other factors influence room tariffs too.
“Current occupancy levels, booking lead time, pace of reservations, competitor pricing, city-wide demand indicators and events all play a role,” Kapoor told FinancialExpress.com.
He also pointed out that guest behaviour changes pricing strategies.
“Business hotels typically operate at 1–1.5 guests per room, while leisure hotels average 2–2.5. That changes how hotels plan inventory and pricing elasticity,” he said.
Last-minute deals can work — but only for flexible travellers
Many travellers still believe waiting till the last moment is risky. But for flexible travellers, it can actually save a significant amount of money.
“Maximum discounts typically appear in same-day or sub-24-hour booking windows, particularly when hotels face unexpected inventory gaps,” Kapoor told FinancialExpress.com.
According to him, business hotels in metro cities often witness weaker weekend demand, which is when prices may suddenly dip. Leisure destinations, meanwhile, usually offer discounts during off-season months when tourist traffic slows down.
Travel enthusiast and Mrs India winner Dipali Mathur told FinancialExpress.com that she has personally benefited from waiting till the last minute.
“Some of my best travel deals have come through last-minute bookings during non-peak seasons,” Mathur told FinancialExpress.com.
“Airlines and hotels often try to fill unsold inventory closer to the travel date, especially on weekdays or for less crowded destinations,” she added.
However, she said flexibility is the real trick.
“Being open to different flight timings or accommodation types can make a big difference,” Mathur told FinancialExpress.com.
Interestingly, travel booking data globally is also showing that travellers are increasingly booking closer to departure dates. According to industry data shared through vacation rental analytics platforms, booking windows have shortened considerably in recent years, with a growing number of bookings now happening within seven days of travel.
Flights and hotels follow completely different pricing patterns
Experts say travellers should stop treating flights and hotels the same way because their pricing systems behave very differently.
“For flights, I usually prefer booking in advance, especially for international travel, because fares tend to rise closer to departure,” Mathur told FinancialExpress.com.
“Hotels, on the other hand, can sometimes offer better last-minute discounts through booking platforms,” she added.
Skyscanner also advises travellers to book once they find a fare they are comfortable with, rather than endlessly waiting for a cheaper deal. The platform says airfare volatility has increased significantly because of demand fluctuations and automated pricing systems.
This is why many travellers today are following a mixed strategy, securing flights early while remaining flexible with hotel bookings.
Luxury travellers benefit more from early bookings
While spontaneous bookings may help budget travellers, luxury travel works very differently.
“Advance booking is always more critical for luxury travellers,” Kapoor told FinancialExpress.com.
“Early booking secures high-demand inventory such as suites, preferred room categories and curated experiences,” he explained.
Luxury hotels often have limited premium inventory. Waiting too long may mean travellers either lose access to the best rooms or end up paying much higher prices.
“It also enables better itinerary planning and access to bundled value-added inclusions that are often limited closer to arrival,” Kapoor added.
This becomes especially important during festivals, destination weddings, long weekends and peak holiday periods.
The booking hacks travellers are using in 2026
Travellers today are increasingly using price alerts, flexible search tools and comparison platforms to save money.
“I rely heavily on fare comparison platforms, price alerts and flexible date searches,” Mathur told FinancialExpress.com.
“Setting alerts on multiple travel apps helps track sudden drops in prices,” she said.
She also suggested another popular trick among frequent travellers.
“Checking fares during mid-week and browsing in incognito mode can sometimes help avoid dynamic price increases,” Mathur added.
Skyscanner also recommends using flexible-date searches and monthly fare comparison tools to identify the cheapest travel periods.
Meanwhile, Booking.com’s 2026 travel data suggests travellers are becoming more intentional with spending, prioritising personalised experiences over expensive luxury splurges.
Mathur believes budget-conscious travellers should focus more on smart planning rather than simply hunting discounts.
“Plan smart, not expensive,” she told FinancialExpress.com. “Travel during shoulder seasons, compare multiple platforms before booking and prioritise experiences over luxury,” she added.
“Most importantly, create a realistic travel budget beforehand and stick to it,” she said.
So, where do travellers actually save more?
For flights, especially international routes, booking early still offers more stability and better pricing in most cases.
For hotels, however, waiting till the last minute can sometimes unlock excellent deals, especially during off-peak seasons or for travellers who are flexible with destinations and stay options.
In 2026, travellers are no longer relying on one strategy alone. Instead, they are mixing advance planning with smart flexibility, constantly tracking prices and using technology to make faster booking decisions.