Making your travel plans for 2026? Bookmark this link and you will thank us later!
While 91% of Singaporeans are eager to head abroad in 2026, many are finding themselves stuck at the planning stage. New research from Skyscanner and OnePoll reveals that a significant 63% of local travellers feel overwhelmed by the booking process, with 69% citing travel costs as their primary concern. On average, Singaporeans spend about 134 hours every year trying to map out their trips, yet nearly half still struggle to find the best deals or settle on a final destination.
To address this, Skyscanner has launched the Cheapest Destination Planner, a new tool designed to simplify the search for affordable, spontaneous getaways. This feature allows users to select a specific month and instantly view the top 10 cheapest destinations, complete with average flight prices and the most cost effective days to fly.

The planner also displays key reasons to visit, the average return flight price, and the cheapest days to travel that month. For example, it can highlight a February island trip to Langkawi from S$172, a June coastal break to Busan for S$329, or a November autumn getaway to Beijing from S$456.
Skyscanner’s Travel Trends and Destinations expert, Cyndi Hui, shared that January is the peak planning period, with 57% of Singaporeans mapping out their year.

“But our research shows that many are overwhelmed at the prospect of booking (63%), with costs top of mind for most (69%),” Hui said. She added that the new planner is designed to take the stress out of planning and help travellers make their money go further.
Skyscanner has also compiled the overall top 10 cheapest destinations for Singapore travellers in 2026, based on an analysis of millions of bookings. All feature average return economy flight prices under S$517. Topping the list is Phuket, Thailand, with an average return fare of S$236, and live prices found as low as S$129 for January travel.
Here is the summary of the top 10 cheapest destinations for 2026 for Singapore travellers:
| Ranking | Destination | Average Return Price | Cheapest Month | Cheapest Day |
| 1 | Phuket, Thailand | S$236 | January (S$129) | Monday |
| 2 | Manila, Philippines | S$240 | March (S$161) | Wednesday |
| 3 | Bali, Indonesia | S$247 | July (S$141) | Sunday |
| 4 | Phu Quoc, Vietnam | S$324 | February (S$168) | Monday |
| 5 | Kuching, Malaysia | S$349 | February (S$104) | Thursday |
| 6 | Taipei, Taiwan | S$408 | January (S$157) | Tuesday |
| 7 | Xiamen, China | S$437 | January (S$261) | Monday |
| 8 | Chongqing, China | S$474 | January (S$191) | Friday |
| 9 | Perth, Australia | S$503 | March (S$231) | Tuesday |
| 10 | Harbin, China | S$517 | January (S$223) | Thursday |
Skyscanner’s data also uncovered a key tip for 2026: the cheapest day to fly on average will be Sunday.
Surprised?
This contradicts common traveller assumptions, with only 2% guessing Saturday would be cheapest, while 28% thought Tuesday and 23% thought Wednesday. Apparently, the best day can vary by route and month, and Skyscanner recommends using tools like its ‘Whole Month’ search to compare dates.
Hui also recommended several other smart booking hacks. These include using ‘Drops’ for alerts on flight price drops of at least 20%, the ‘Everywhere’ search to find the cheapest global destinations, and mixing and matching airports and flight legs. She also suggested considering multi-city trips, which can allow travellers to visit several destinations in one itinerary, maximising both time and airfare value.
I am sold on this new feature as I am an avid user of their “Everywhere’ search when I am looking for a new destination to visit instead of the usual popular tourist spots. With the Cheapest Destination Planner, it can definitely help me save some money that be used for spending at the destination!

