Holiday Travel Plans Enhanced by Expert Wisdom

Holiday Travel Plans season is just around the corner, and this year, there’s one piece of advice on which everyone seems to agree: Book Early.

How early? Early!

“Book your trip as soon as possible,” advises Carol Mueller, vice president at Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. “Because the longer you wait, the more expensive the trip will be.”

And holiday travel plans may cue in some luck with that. Flights, rental cars and rooms are selling out fast. In fact, if may be difficult to book for Thanksgiving, which is rapidly approaching. Christmas and New Year’s are getting harder by the day, too.

That has some people rethinking their holiday travel plans, according to Joe Cronin, president of International Citizens Insurance.

“Many family and friends who typically travel long distances for the holidays are canceling their travel plans and opting instead to stay local or visit with others who are within driving distance,” he says.

But holiday travel plans need not be nixed. You can still take that dream trip during the holidays — or see relatives who live across the country — with a little smart planning. Prices are surprisingly affordable, with the exception of hotels. But as always, there’s also some last-minute drama, and I have some completely irreverent travel advice that could land you a bargain.

Holiday Travel: Difficult Dates

The holiday travel period in the United States is a stretch of time between the last week in November and the first week in January. It includes Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

Generally, it’s one of the worst times of the year to travel, partly because of bad weather, and partly because of high demand. Almost everyone wants to go somewhere during the holidays. And that has never been more true than in 2023.

Outlook for Holiday Travel Prices

Overall, domestic travel prices are down compared to the last holiday period.

– Thanksgiving airfares have fallen 14 percent from this time last year (to $268 per ticket), and Christmas airfares are down 12 percent (to $400 per ticket), according to Hopper.

– Car rental rates average $42 a day during Thanksgiving, a 17 percent decline from last year. The daily rate at Christmas is $10 higher, about the same as last year, Hopper predicts.

– Gas prices are steady. The Department of Energy predicts fuel prices will remain virtually unchanged, despite the turmoil in the Middle East. Nationwide, fuel prices should stay around $3.62 per gallon. Of course that could change in an instant or during a bad day on the political spectrum.

– Hotel rates are ticking higher as the holidays approach. Prices for Thanksgiving stays are averaging $206 per night (up 9 percent from last year). For Christmas, the average room rate is $233 a night (up 7 percent), according to Hopper.

Most prices may be lower, but that’s only half of the equation, says John Lovell, president of Travel Leaders Group. Airfares and rental cars may be a little more affordable — at least compared with the last holiday season — but that assumes there’s availability. And travel advisors are seeing record demand going into the 2023 holiday travel season.

“Things are tight,” says Lovell.

Safe Travels and World Conflicts

One of the most common questions posed during these times is: Is it safe to go? It depends.

“Selecting your travel destinations needs a careful review,” explains Mahmood Khan, a hospitality and tourism professor at Virginia Tech. Recent conflicts in the Middle East and ongoing problems in Eastern Europe have made holiday travelers more tentative. Staying in the United States or visiting safer developed countries during the holidays may be the best bet, says experts.

Holiday Travel Hot Spots 2023

Most Americans drive to their holiday destinations, and getting accurate predictions on driving intentions is difficult. But Priceline pulled some of its airfare booking data and found holiday air travelers were all headed to the same places, more or less.

Here’s Priceline’s list of the most popular Thanksgiving destinations in the U.S., along with the average roundtrip airfare to those places.

1. New York ($453)

1. Atlanta ($396)

1. Dallas ($511)

1. Los Angeles ($419)

1. Chicago ($478)

The list of destinations shifts around for Christmas and New Year’s, but New York is always at the top, and Atlanta is in second place on two lists.

Holiday travel internationally? “Our review of this year’s top Thanksgiving destinations revealed that Mexico is a top choice for Americans traveling internationally — specifically Cancun, San Jose Del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta,” says Daniel Durazo, director of external communications at Allianz Travel Insurance.

Travel Days to Avoid

If you can’t avoid a popular holiday travel destination, try to travel on the least crowded day during that particular period. Expedia’s analysis of holiday booking data suggests that during the busy Thanksgiving holiday travel period, a flight departing on Monday, November 20, is 12% cheaper than the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Departing on Friday instead of Sunday will save you money, too.

Same thing goes for Christmas. Leave on Tuesday, December 19, or on Christmas Eve, and you’ll save 25% versus flying on Friday, December 22. Those are slow days because most people prefer to fly later. Other uncrowded days: Christmas eve or the holiday itself. Flights on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day are historically less busy.

Ironically, Kayak released its latest airfare information this week suggesting that airfares were falling fast. Prices for domestic travel over Thanksgiving weekend are down 13% from last year, and even more surprising, they’re down 7% in the last month. Cities like Richmond, Va., San Jose and Baltimore have seen price drops of nearly 30% since last Thanksgiving.

Holiday Travel Tips

Get out of town — way out of town

That’s the advice of Tracy Kennedy, a travel advisor who specializes in Australia and New Zealand. “We’ve noticed an uptick in travelers from the United States looking to escape their cold winters for the sunny coasts of Australia, particularly Sydney,” she says. My personal favorite is Tasmania. I’m hoping to make it down to Hobart for the Sydney Hobart Yacht Race on Boxing Day one of these days.

Stay flexible and patient

If you don’t care where you travel for the holidays, here’s some totally contrarian advice: Wait. “Many airlines also have sales during certain times of the year,” explains Kyle Kroeger, CEO of the online travel planning site ViaTravelers. “So if you’re planning a trip for Christmas, keep an eye out for those dates.” Kroeger likes using Google Flights to compare prices and flight times,

as well as other websites like Skyscanner and Expedia. But this advice only works if you’re flexible and can go anywhere.

Skip the Holiday Travel Idea

One strong piece of holiday travel advice is to avoid the holiday altogether. Consider heading to a destination, in Europe or Mexico for instance, where there is no Thanksgiving holiday and have a picnic by the beach or a memorable meal at a hidden bistro.