After all the shopping, hosting, and celebrating that comes with the holiday season, you deserve a proper getaway. And while you may want to give your credit card a little break, the start of the new year is actually one of the best times to travel on the cheap. Why not take advantage? We’ve got some insider tips that will help you find the best flight deals so you can kick off your year with an epic (or relaxing!) vacation.

Savvy hacks for uncovering cheap flights in January

We've talked about the "when" (January), so now let's tackle the "how." For serious travelers, Skyscanner isn't just a website — it's the first step in travel planning. When you’re stuck on where to go next, you can find inspiration in our travel guides and Everywhere search. But if you already know your next destination, you can jump straight into using our flight search tools, like Whole Month view. Let's break it all down so you know how to uncover the lowest possible prices on itineraries that work best with your schedule.

Everywhere search

When you know your travel dates but can't decide on a destination, Skyscanner's Everywhere search helps you decide where to go. All you do is type "Everywhere" in the destination field when doing your flight search on Skyscanner. We'll pull together destinations near and far, organized by price, so you can get inspiration that's also budget-friendly.

Whole Month search

If you have even a little flexibility in your travel dates, Skyscanner’s Whole Month search will help you save money by showing you the most affordable dates to fly. 

After you enter your departure and arrival airports, choose “Flexible dates” and select the month of January, and then hit Search. When you look at the monthly prices in calendar view, you’ll see estimated airfare listed below each date, with the lowest prices highlighted in green. You can also switch over to chart view to see the same details organized in a bar graph.

If you’re interested in a date that shows a magnifying glass instead of a price, you can still select it. Our Whole Month tool stores prices that were found in the last four days by other people. So the magnifying glass just means that the specific route and dates haven’t been selected in the last four days and we need to run a search to get the most up-to-date pricing.

Price Alerts 

We know you don't have time to constantly check flight prices — that's what the robots are for! And we have one to do that for you, called the Skyscanner Price Alert. It’s the single easiest way to grab a deal the second airfare drops. 

After you enter your route and travel dates and hit Search, tap the “Get Price Alerts” button in the top left corner on desktop view. It’s free to set up, and we’ll constantly monitor airfare for you. Then the moment the price changes, we’ll immediately send you a notification. It’s like having an always-on travel agent whose only job is to keep you updated on airfare so you can book at the right time.

Need some inspiration for your trip? We found these wallet-friendly routes to show you what's possible when hunting for cheap flights in January.

*These prices were valid as of October 6, 2025, and are subject to change.

Final thoughts: Cheaper airfare for an affordable trip

For some, January is just a quiet month. But for savvy travelers, it’s prime time for an affordable trip. Now you’ve got the tools to make it happen. Go ahead and start your search for January flight deals so you can kick off the New Year with another great adventure.