Do you think 6 weeks pre - purchase a ticket is decent timing?

Usually, I buy my tickets 6 months in advance. As what I have noticed with the trending of the budget airlines, it is when they give you the largest discounts. But now, also those same budget airlines tends to give promo fares when it is near the departure. And yes that is 4 to 6 weeks in advance. So, I guess your timing is quite right.

I usually book my long haul flights around six months in advance. Then I have enough time I save up more money for my actual trip. I sometimes book a last minute flight because the price is fantastic. Like I went to the Maldives last minute because my flight to Cancun was canceled due to a hurricane on the Mexican coast. There are long haul flights and these are expensive. I look at a site called either Flight Scanner or Sky Scanner and put the departure airport and the arrival airport. Then I put in all year. The lowest prices per month come up and I choose which is the best. It usually depends on the weather in my destination and the lower prices. I like shoulder season and not high season or low season. I book a train ticket that is long distance around 12 weeks before my trip using The Train Line website. I got the cheapest ticket going to the airport but going back home I saw engineering works listed and a bus service replacement. I decided to go via a different place to stay on the train all the way.

I think it depends where you are going and what kind of trip it is. When I am going to a long vacation where I want to visit more than one country and I prefer to buy the tickets severals months in advance, because I want to make sure that I can get all of tickets that I need. When I am travelling to Asia this year or next year I need to buy 5 different plane tickets and 2 train tickets, because I want to visit 4 different countries. It is like a big jigsaw puzzle where everything has to work, so I think it is best to arrange everything well in advance. Sometimes you can save some money if you buy your ticket just before you leave. Some people cancel their trip in the last minute and sometimes you can buy their tickets for a small amount of money if you are willing to buy your ticket in last minute before your trip. One of my friends often buys that kinds of tickets and she has gotten some very cheap tickets that way.

Your time frame is right on! When I travel by air usually the more time in advance the better deal i get. Also the Airline you choose can be the life saver too. Grant it they fly to your arrival destination. This summer I plan on booking a flight 2 months in advance. I hope to save some bucks!!