Endless lines, uncomfortable seats, lost luggage -- air travel can be downright unpleasant, especially when you factor in the potential for delays and cancellations. Travel booking site Kayak wants to help its users cut down on costs, even if airport-induced stress can't really be helped.
Kayak, which was founded in 2004 by co-founders of fellow travel deal search engines Expedia, Travelocity and Orbitz, received over 100 million queries a month in 2013, so they compiled the data into a travel guide to take some of the mystery and guesswork out of finding the best deals.
According to Kayak, if you're headed to an international locale, the best days to fly out are Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but if you're traveling in the U.S., stick with Friday. Monday is generally the least expensive day to return, but Kayak also found that flying on weekends can mean paying 15 percent above average airfares.
Related: Tips for Handling Non-Stop Travel
Depending on where you're going, the best time to book your trip can range from two weeks to 10 months ahead of time. For domestic flights, Kayak recommends buying tickets three to seven weeks before your departure date. For trips Europe and Central America, look to purchase eight to 10 and six to eight weeks out respectively.
For South America, your best bet is going to be six months in advance, and for Asia, try nine to 10 months or three to four months beforehand. The region that's the best "last-minute destination" is the Caribbean because of the ease in finding airfare deals a week before you leave. But we should all be so lucky to be taking business trips to the Caribbean, especially with Polar Vortex Part 3 heading back once again for the lucky denizens of the Midwest and East Coast.
Related: Business Travelers, Rejoice: Delta to Offer $2 Wi-Fi Mobile Pass