It is understandable if you are confused when booking holiday travel during the holiday season. This holiday season, travel costs are set to touch a record high with so many locations to choose from and considering recession fears.
According to the Travellers insight quarterly report released by Expedia Group, November and December travels are seeing a 60% growth compared to last year. More than 50% of Americans plan to visit families and friends on both holidays this year.
According to Hayley Berg, economist at Hopper, a travel booking app, some 25 million seats are set to travel from US airports during the Thanksgiving week from November 20 to November 27.
Book Holiday Flights at the Earliest
The good news is that despite the demand, it is still not too late to get the best deals for travel for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year – whether you’re looking at Wings sailing charters Whitsundays, or a trip to Japan. However, one must be fast and flexible with travel dates.
Domestic airfare for Thanksgiving has increased by 10% over 2021. It averages $275 for a round trip, whereas international airfare is $828 on average, up 16% from last year.
The ticket price is rising from $10 to $15 every day, and in case you have not booked your ticket for Thanksgiving, it is time to do now. Flexibility in travel dates is important as one might miss out on flights on sell-out routes.
The tickets are expected to be pricier in December, so one should book late December tickets now. For domestic flights, the price is lower between 20 and 88 days before departure and now is a good window time. Hopper says the international ticket price to Madrid is $370, San Juan $115, London $ 241, and Ireland $370.
It is not only about the flight ticket prices. The longer one takes to decide there will be less preferred options available. Google recommends keeping the travel dates open or selecting one’s budget to get refined results.
Avoid Hotspots During Holidays
Big cities are in demand this holiday season as travelers missed New York City’s Thanksgiving Day and Disney world, among others, during the pandemic.
Airport Outlook
While the airports predict the busiest during Thanksgiving, it helps to plan the departure. According to Google, airports are the least active on Wednesday evenings, while Saturday noon is the peak time.
The busiest travel dates for Thanksgiving Day are Sunday, November 20, with an estimated 3.3 million passengers, and November 27, with an equal number of passengers departing.
Still, Time to Get Hotel Deals
The average hotel prices have gone up compared to 2021, but many accommodations still show a dip. This is because more travelers flock to bigger cities during the holiday season. For example, average hotel prices are down 24% in Denver, at $407, and 17% in Las Vegas, at $319, compared to 2021.
The more flexible one is on locations and travel dates, the better the chance of finding destinations that are not having over the top of rates for the season.
