Just by shifting his holiday by six days, Shekhar Kumar, an Indian expat working as a digital marketer, has managed to cut almost his entire travel bill. He had initially planned to travel during the UAE National Day break, but the packages he checked started from Dh4,000, far higher than what he expected.

“I checked with three agents and all of them quoted almost the same price,” said Shekhar.“And if I booked all by myself, airfares alone were showing Dh2,700 to Dh3,000. It didn't make sense, so I paused my plans.”

When he casually checked the dates after the long weekend, he found flights and hotels for nearly half the price and decided to move his trip. It's not just Shekhar who is taking advantage of this hack, but two of his colleagues are accompanying him.“My colleagues from different departments are also accompanying me. Our work is flexible, and we can even work remotely if the situation demands,” said Shekhar.

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According to Khaleej Times' analysis, airfare and hotel rates show a price gap of up to 100 per cent between the National Day holiday window and the week after.

The average fares on major online travel platforms show that a round-trip airfare to Caucasus destinations during the November 28 to December 3 window range between Dh2,700 and Dh3,000.

The same routes for December 5 to 10 early-morning departures drop to Dh1,300 to Dh1,500. Hotels also mirror this trend. A mid range stay is priced at Dh480 to 800 per night during the National Day period, falling to Dh230 to 380 right after. This means UAE residents willing to delay their trip by just a few days can save:

• 45 to 55 per cent on flights

• Over 50 perc ent of hotels

• Up to 100 percent of what they would have spent on travelling during the peak holiday rush

Residents with flexible work arrangements are taking advantage of this pattern. Another Dubai resident, Rashed Mohammed, said he changed his Baku trip from November 29 to December 7 after comparing fares online.“My friend paid nearly Dh2,500 for his flight that week, but mine came to Dh1,390,” he said.“I just worked during the National Day break and then took leave after. It saved me more than half the cost.”

Khaleej Times' analysis showed that the biggest savings are consistently found on the most popular Caucasus routes. Flights from the UAE to Tbilisi dropped from averaging Dh2,900 during the holiday to around Dh1,500 the week after.

Dubai to Baku fell from Dh2,500 to 3,900 to around Dh1,254 for a direct flight. A round trip from the UAE to Yerevan on Friday, November 28, evening flight went from Dh3,200 down to Dh1,600, and Dubai to Almaty showed a similar decline. These drops are visible across all major online platforms, including Skyscanner, Cleartrip, and Wego, which track real-time airfare.

For many residents, this strategy has now become routine. "Same destination, same weather, same number of days, just different dates,” said Rashed.“I have advised my friends to stop checking fares for the holiday itself. Just move the trip a bit, and they will save big."

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