When to book your international flights to save money

Flat Beds airfare specialist and founder Mark Trim said if you want to visit Europe in the peak season, June to August (European summer) and December (Christmas peak), you should book with plenty of notice due to high demand.

"We recommend an 8-11 month booking lead time for the high season months to secure the best possible airfare when looking at price, seat selection, and stopovers," he said.

"If booking 6-9 months out, you may need to be more flexible to get a good deal, and if you're booking with six months or less, it will almost always result in more expensive airfares or more sacrifices/concessions to get a reasonable airfare."

If you're flying to Europe in the off-peak season from November to March (excluding December), you only need to book three to six months out for business class, and two to four months out for economy class, because there's less people travelling, Mr Trim said.

"If you want to make the most of the snow post-Christmas, book now to grab the best deal," he said.

Another way to save money on flights is to avoid flying into popular cities like London, Rome and Paris, if you can, according to the travel agent.

To get a better deal, fly into a central hub like Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Helsinki, or Munich, where you can pick up a train, car hire, or cheap flight to other ports.

Flying on weekdays can also save you money, as some airlines charge weekend surcharges. The advice is to leave Australia between Tuesday and Thursday and return from Europe on Sunday to Wednesday.

If you want to stretch your budget to business class, "there are some great premium economy and mixed-class options if you add a stopover in Asia, including Japan or take a two-stop route," Mr Trim said.

Melbourne Airport says the best time to book international flights is three to six months in advance. For domestic, they advise booking one to three months ahead.

According to travel agent Flight Centre, international flights are best booked in September and October for travel the following year, as that's when airlines release their annual earlybird fares.

According to Expedia.com.au, Fridays are typically the cheapest days to fly international, and Sundays are usually the best days to actually book your international flight tickets, offerings possible savings of almost 20 per cent.