From the streets of the French Quarter to the stands of Super Bowl LVIII, travelers are reveling in their wintertime trips.
Reservation data in TripIt, one of the world’s highest-rated travel planning apps, shows that travel bookings are up year over year for the first three months of 2024.
For travelers with reservations in TripIt, flight bookings in January were up 22% from last year—meanwhile, sweethearts and spring breakers will cause February and March travel volume to tick upwards more than twice that. Year-over-year flight bookings in TripIt have increased 54% and 63%, respectively.
Here’s what else our reservation data shows for January, February, and March 2024.
London led the way for international jaunts in January
First, a look back at the month that was. January, the kick-start to the year—and in many destinations, the off-season—saw year-over-year increases in overall flight bookings (up 22%), international flight bookings (up 36%), overall accommodations (up 16%), and rental car reservations (up 16%). Vacation rental reservations remained flat year over year—aligning with a broader trend of declining demand for homeshares.
The busiest days for travel? Three (of the month’s five) Mondays dominated for domestic flights: January 8, 15, and 22. On those days, the busiest airports were ATL, DFW, and ORD.
Many travelers headed to warm-weather destinations like Dallas, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Phoenix. Still others cashed in on off-season pricing in big cities like New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and San Francisco.
Americans headed abroad took advantage of the holiday weekend (honoring MLK Jr.): the busiest days to depart were Saturday (January 13), Friday, (January 12), and Sunday (January 14)—in that order. London was the most popular destination, followed by cities like Cancun, San Juan (PR), Tokyo, Paris, and Frankfurt.
Here’s what else happened in January:
- Dallas, Chicago, and Phoenix were the most popular pick-up destinations (on the busiest pick-up days) for rental cars. The average reservation was just shy of 4 days; on par with last year.
- Las Vegas and New York dominated accommodation bookings in January. Atlanta, Houston, and Chicago were also popular this month.
- Warm-weather destinations were the top draw for those booking vacation rentals. Destinations like San Diego, Miami, Austin, and Houston all claimed top spots over the month’s busiest check-in days.
Lovers and fans take flight in February
The top domestic destination for Americans this month? Las Vegas. The host city to this year’s Super Bowl claims the top spot on all of the month’s busiest travel days.
Where are travelers departing from? Our data shows the busiest days and departure airports as:
- Monday, February 5: ORD, ATL, DFW, DEN, BOS
- Thursday, February 1: LAX, SFO, SEA, ORD, BOS
- Friday, February 2: SFO, LAX, SEA, BOS, DEN
- Monday, February 12: ORD, ATL, SFO, EWR, DFW
- Friday, February 16: SFO, LAX, SEA, BOS, JFK
Tip: The first weekend of the month will be the busiest for flyers. Plan ahead by arriving at the airport early, keeping your travel plans organized in TripIt, and in case of delays, knowing your options for getting on an alternate flight.
Travelers will also be headed out to celebrate one of two—or maybe both?—holidays taking place later that week: Mardi Gras on Tuesday, February 13 and Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, February 14.
Americans traveling to New Orleans for Mardi Gras will give the city’s accommodation bookings a boost: the city takes the top spot for vacation rentals on the Friday before Mardi Gras (February 9)—one of the busiest check-in days all month.
Those celebrating Valentine’s Day might also be making the most of the long weekend ahead: Thursday, February 15, Friday, February 16, and Saturday, February 17 are among the busiest days for international flight departures. Top destinations include Amsterdam, Cancun, London, Puerto Vallarta (MX), and San Juan (PR).
Don’t be surprised if you see more Americans in those destinations, too: international flight reservations in TripIt are up 57% from last year.
Here’s what else we’re seeing for February:
- Top domestic destinations resemble January: Dallas, Orlando, and Phoenix—in addition to Las Vegas—take top spots across all the busiest travel days.
- Rental car reservations are up 53% from 2023; top pick-up cities include Phoenix, Orlando, Dallas, and Denver.
- Accommodation bookings are also up; our data shows a 50% increase year over year. New York and Las Vegas dominate the top destinations, however, Atlanta, Orlando, and New Orleans all crack the top five during some of the busiest check-in days.
- Palm Springs, Park City, San Diego, and Miami—in addition to New Orleans—are among the most popular destinations for vacation rentals.
Spring breakers split on sun or slopes for March trips
To many, the arrival of March means one thing: spring break trips. And this year is no different. Our data shows travel bookings in TripIt are up across the board, including overall flights (up 63%), international flights (up 66%), rental car reservations (up 66%), overall accommodations (up 53%), and vacation rentals (up 32%).
The first two weekends of the month will see the most flyers. Our data shows the busiest days and departure airports will be:
- Friday, March 1: SFO, LAX, BOS, JFK, SEA
- Saturday, March 2: BOS, ORD, SFO, LAX, EWR
- Friday, March 8: SFO, JFK, DFW, BOS, ORD
- Sunday, March 3: SFO, BOS, EWR, ORD, ATL
- Saturday, March 9: AUS, DFW, ORD, BOS, JFK
Top domestic flight destinations include Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, New York, Denver, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, and Salt Lake City.
Tip: Planning a trip this March? Avoid the weekend crowds and fly mid-week. Or, plan a St. Patrick’s Day getaway—it falls on one of the quieter weekends to fly.
And while three of the above cities—Las Vegas, New York, and Orlando—will also dominate for accommodation bookings in March, vacation rental bookings will be decidedly split between those headed for the sun and those headed to the slopes. Top vacation rental destinations include Scottsdale, Austin, Palm Springs, and Miami—as well as Park City, Breckenridge, and Big Sky (MT).
Here are some other travel trends predicted for March:
- Cancun, London, Tokyo, Puerto Vallarta, Paris, and San Juan will be among the top international destinations. The busiest days for international departures will be on Fridays (March 1 and 22) and Saturdays (March 2, 9, and 23).
- Denver, Phoenix, and Orlando will be among the most popular destinations for rental car pick-ups. Weekends will prove busy for picking up your rental car; four of the five busiest days are Fridays (March 1 and 8) or Saturdays (March 9 and 23).
- Fridays will also be a popular day for checking in to accommodations in March; four of the five busiest check-in days will fall on the last day of the work week (March 1, 8, 15, and 22).
Methodology: TripIt looked at U.S. origin round-trip flight, lodging, and rental car reservations made on or before January 12, 2024, for travel during January, February, and March 2024, and equivalent booking periods in 2023. Reservation data in TripIt is provided by users and is booking provider agnostic.
