The holiday season is getting underway and new research reveals the most hectic travel dates for this year, as well as the top destinations. While Americans will be going places all throughout the season, December 23rd will be the busiest travel day overall this holiday season.
According to the survey of 2-thousand Americans who plan to travel for the holidays this year:
- Starting with Thanksgiving, the most popular day to head to a destination will be the day before the holiday, Wednesday, November 27th, and the most popular time to return home is after (Saturday) November 30th.
- When it comes to the December holidays, the 23rd is the most popular day to depart, and for heading home, the most common time is after New Year’s Eve (December 31st).
- For those traveling for New Year’s, the busiest days will be December 31st and January 2nd.
- So, where is everyone going for the holidays? Florida is the top destination for those going out of state for Thanksgiving and the December holidays, while New York tops the list for New Year’s travelers.
- During their holiday travels, people are most looking forward to seeing family (56%) and eating good food (37%), while they’re dreading the cost of travel (29%) and dealing with lines and crowds during their travels (26%).
Busiest travel days during the holidays
Thanksgiving
- November 27th - 19%
- November 28th (Thanksgiving Day) - 20%
- November 30th - 22%
- After November 30th - 25%
December Holidays
- December 22nd - 17%
- December 23rd - 20%
- December 27th - 16%
- After December 31st - 22%
New Year's
- December 30th - 18%
- December 31st (New Year's Eve) - 20%
- January 2nd - 20%
- January 3rd - 13%
Source: Entrepreneur