Expect Thanksgiving travel to be even busier this year. Survey data we released in September showed that nearly all (90%) respondents plan to travel before the end of 2023. So we dug into reservation data from TripIt, one of the world’s highest-rated travel planning apps, to see where, when, and how long Americans are traveling for the holiday.
Our data shows Thanksgiving flight bookings are up 40% from 2022; flights to international destinations are up even more—we’re seeing an increase of 51%. Top Turkey Day—nay, Week (the average trip will last 7.4 days)—destinations in the U.S. feature coastal cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, as well as outdoorsy destinations like Denver and Phoenix. Most Americans headed abroad will land in London, Tokyo, Cancun, and Paris.
Returning to tradition, the busiest travel days will be Wednesday, November 22, followed by Tuesday, November 21. Last year, the Friday before Thanksgiving week was the busiest departure day—are return-to-office policies encroaching on Thanksgiving getaway plans this year?
Airports like SFO, LAX, SEA, DEN, BOS, and ORD will be the busiest of the busy airports.
Here’s what else is in store for Thanksgiving 2023 travel.
International trips last 50% longer this Thanksgiving
While the Tuesday and Wednesday of Thanksgiving week will see the lion’s share of travelers this year, the most popular days for international flight departures are the Friday and Saturday before the holiday.
Overall, travelers plan to spend 7.4 days on a trip; however, the average length of an international trip is nearly 50% longer (11.1 days) than the average trip. London, unsurprisingly, claims the top spot across four out of five of the busiest travel days. This is consistent with data we released in October when London was the top international destination on all of the month’s busiest travel days.
Cancun unseats London as the top destination on November 19. On Sunday the 26th, Amsterdam and Frankfurt enter the ranks—destinations that were not part of the top five in 2022. Other popular international destinations include Paris—a city recently plagued by a bedbug infestation—as well as Tokyo and Puerto Vallarta.
On the domestic front, coastal cities like New York, Boston, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles claim top spots, as well as Mountain West destinations like Denver, Las Vegas, and Phoenix. Chicago holds it down for the Midwest; Orlando attracts Americans to the South.
Rental cars cover the sprawl
Like flights, rental car bookings are up year over year; reservations increase 42% from last Thanksgiving. Many of the top cities, which include Phoenix, Denver, Las Vegas, Chicago, Orlando, San Diego, and Los Angeles, have sprawling metro areas—and thus, tend to be more car dependent than denser metros.
Related reading: A Guide to Walkable Cities: Where They Are and Why You Should Visit Them
The busiest days for rental car pick-up are the Wednesday (Nov 22) and Tuesday (Nov 21) before Thanksgiving, followed by the Friday and Saturday the weekend before (Nov 17 and 18). The average reservation is for 4.9 days.
Haven’t booked your Thanksgiving rental car yet? “First, consider when you really need the car,” said Jen Moyse, VP of Product at TripIt. “Perhaps only a few days of your trip require a car instead of the entire duration. You can take a taxi, rideshare, or public transportation to your accommodation, then rent only for the days you explore beyond the local area.
“Being flexible can also pay off. If you can be flexible about the dates you pick up or drop off your car, you can avoid premium rates during peak travel dates, like Thanksgiving. The location matters as well since airports charge rental car companies a fee to operate out of the airport, and those result in higher costs for renters. You can save money by opting for a rental car company located outside the airport.”
Travelers extend their stays in vacation rentals
Accommodation reservations also increase from last year. Our data shows overall bookings are up 32%; vacation rental reservations are up 21%.
Friday, November 17 will be the busiest day for travelers checking into their Thanksgiving getaway accommodations, followed by Wednesday, the 22nd. Lodgers will stay for an average of 3.1 days.
Top destinations across the busiest check-in days are mostly consistent: New York and Las Vegas lead the pack, followed by other big cities like Orlando, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and San Diego. The latter two are newcomers to the top-five rankings this year.
Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a road-trip holiday, and as such, vacation rental destinations are more all over the map. San Diego claims the top spot for three (out of five) of the busiest travel days Thanksgiving week, however, destinations like Seattle, Nashville, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Philadelphia, Chicago, Asheville, and Gatlinburg also make the list. (Dreaming of a Smoky Mountains getaway now? Same.) Those staying in a vacation rental plan to stay an average of 4.4 days—more than a day longer than overall accommodation bookings.
Of note, Hawaii was a top destination for many Americans last year, ranking in the top five for both rental car and vacation rentals bookings. However, Hawaii is noticeably absent from our list this year—perhaps as a result of the destination’s tourism authority asking travelers to be mindful of their impact in the wake of recent wildfire devastation.
Methodology: TripIt looked at U.S. origin round-trip flight, lodging, and rental car reservations made on or before October 20, 2023, for travel during Thanksgiving week 2023 (November 17-26, 2023), and equivalent booking periods in 2022. Reservation data in TripIt is provided by users and is booking provider agnostic.
