With Thanksgiving heading our way next month, here are the holiday travel trends we can expect this season.
This year, over half of Americans are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving and Christmas period, according to a survey by The Vacationer travel guide. That’s equivalent to over 132 million Americans on the move. This would represent a nearly 6% jump from last year.
Of those surveyed, 22% said they would travel for Thanksgiving, 16% for Christmas, and nearly 29% said they would travel during both holiday periods.
In terms of cost, just over 22% said they will drop $500 or less on Thanksgiving travel, nearly 14% said $501 to $1,000, about 16% plan to spend $1,001 to $1,500, more than 11% will expend $1,501 to $2,000, and almost 6% say they intend on spending $2,000 or more.
Last year, as reported in The Dallas Express, the 2023 Thanksgiving season was saddled with higher-cost foods, reflecting the historically high inflation rate plaguing the economy. Some items, like canned pumpkin, were up as much as 30%.
In response to price-sensitive consumers, Walmart is bringing back its “inflation-fee Thanksgiving meal” this year. According to Walmart, shoppers can purchase a holiday meal for less than $7 per person through December 26, 2024.
Those flying this holiday season are not particularly confident airlines will be able to deliver service on time. Less than 30% of individuals surveyed are confident or extremely confident “in airlines being able to avoid excessive delays and cancellations this holiday season.”
Perhaps one of the more unusual findings of the survey was the respondents’ aversion to turkey. When asked which traditional Thanksgiving foods they dislike, a whopping 34.48% said turkey, the highest of any dish on the list. Men, in particular, showed a disdain for the main dish of the holiday, with nearly 41% saying they dislike turkey, compared to less than 31% of women.
The Vacationer surveyed 1,042 American adults on October 4 to generate the results.