You heard it here first: Friday, December 22—the Friday before Christmas—will be the busiest day for travel this holiday season.
According to reservation data from TripIt, one of the world’s highest-rated travel planning apps, December 22 will see the lion’s share of passengers flying for the holidays (both domestically and internationally), checking into their accommodations, as well as picking up their rental cars. The only outlier: vacation rental check-ins will peak on Saturday, December 23.
What else does holiday travel have in store? While we can’t predict how many travelers will hit the road this holiday season, our TripIt travelers are certainly on the move:
- Overall flight reservations are up 61% year over year; international flights are up 54%.
- Rental car reservations are up 60% from 2022.
- Overall accommodations are—you guessed it—up from last year; our data shows an increase of 37%, while vacation rentals are up 31%.
Here’s a closer look at where, when, and how long Americans will travel for the holidays this year.
Sun or slopes, Americans seek holiday glow
This holiday season, Americans are split on seeking snow or sun. Indeed, two destinations claim the top spots on the busiest travel days: Denver (on December 22 and 23) and Orlando (on December 26, 27, and 25, as well as January 1).
Other top destinations include New York, Chicago, and San Francisco—big cities with perennial holiday appeal—as well as cities known for their sunny disposition, such as Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Miami, Kahului, and Honolulu.
Some of the above cities’ airports will also be among the busiest in the nation. Our data shows the busiest departure days and airports will be:
- Friday, 12/22: SFO, LAX, JFK, DEN, SEA
- Saturday, 12/23: SFO, LAX, DEN, ORD, BOS
- Tuesday, 12/26: LAX, SFO, ORD, JFK, EWR
- Wednesday, 12/27: LAX, SFO, ORD, JFK, SEA
- Monday, 12/25: SFO, LAX, JFK, SEA, ORD
- Monday, 1/1: SFO, LAX, ORD, JFK, DEN
The average trip with a domestic flight will be 8.8 days—three days fewer than Americans’ international trips. Those will last an average of 12.1 days.
Which international destinations will see the most Americans over the holidays? London (December 22 and 26) and Cancun (December 23, 25, and 27, as well as January 1) dominate the top departure dates. Americans will also seek fun in the sun in destinations like San Juan, PR; Punta Cana, DR; Puerto Vallarta, MX; San Jose Cabo, MX; and Guanacaste, CR. Tokyo and Paris round out the top international destinations.
Top departure airports for international flights include SFO, JFK, LAX, ORD, EWR, and BOS.
Denver, Orlando dominate rankings for rental cars
Like flights, rental car reservations are up from the 2022 holiday season. Our data shows bookings in TripIt have increased 58% from last year. The average reservation will last 5.7 days.
Rental car bookings share another similarity with flights: the busiest destinations. Denver and Orlando divide and conquer the top rental-car pick-up cities.
According to our data, the top days and cities for rental car pick-ups will be:
- Friday, 12/22: Denver, Orlando, Los Angeles, Phoenix
- Saturday, 12/23: Denver, Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale
- Tuesday, 12/26: Orlando, Denver, Phoenix, Miami
- Wednesday, 12/27: Orlando, Denver, Miami, Phoenix
- Sunday, 12/24: Orlando, Phoenix, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa
- Monday, 1/1: Denver, Salt Lake City, Kahului, Orlando
Haven’t booked your holiday rental car yet? “Points are helpful for offsetting cost, especially if you’re traveling during peak dates, like the holidays,” said Jen Moyse, VP of Product at TripIt.
“Save up your points and keep track of them with TripIt Pro’s Point Tracker—a feature that stores all your account numbers, balances, and expirations in one place. It’s easy to monitor all your expiration dates so you can take advantage of your points and miles before they expire. It will even send you push notifications if your points are about to expire.”
Related reading: These 5 TripIt Features Can Save You Money on Your Next Trip
New York back on top for accommodation bookings in December
From Rockefeller Center to Bryant Park to every twinkling, tree-lined street, New York glistens with holiday magic. And our reservation data reflects the city’s unique splendor: New York claims the top spot across all of December’s busiest accommodation check-in days: December 22, 23, 26, 27, and 29.
Las Vegas—last year’s top destination in December—reclaims its throne on January 1. Orlando, Miami, New Orleans, and San Diego round out the top destinations for holiday accommodation check-ins.
Those checking into accommodations will stay an average of 3.6 days. However, those staying in a vacation rental (more of those destinations below) will stay longer—5.5 days.
Unlike overall accommodations, the busiest cities for vacation rentals are all over the map. The top check-in days—four of which are after Christmas, mind you—and destinations are:
- Saturday, 12/23: San Diego, Honolulu, New Orleans, Breckenridge
- Tuesday, 12/26: Kissimmee, San Diego, Los Angeles, Incline Village (NV)
- Friday, 12/22: Nashville, San Diego, Minneapolis, Scottsdale
- Wednesday, 12/27: Park City, Miami, Sedona, San Diego
- Friday, 12/29: New Orleans, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale, San Diego
- Monday, 1/1: Park City, Miami, Truckee (CA), Indio (CA)
It’s safe to say you’ll see most American travelers basking in the sun, tearing down the slopes, or letting the good times roll in cities known for their nightlife to ring in 2024.
Methodology: TripIt looked at U.S. origin round-trip flight, lodging, and rental car reservations made on or before November 27, 2023, for travel during December 22, 2023-January 1, 2024, and equivalent booking periods in 2022. Reservation data in TripIt is provided by users and is booking provider agnostic.
