Originally seen HERE.
AAA data suggests that during the holidays, travelers are generally going to pay less for domestic trips compared to last year and more for international vacations.
AAA projects 55.4 million U.S. travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel, the five-day period from Wednesday, November 22 to Sunday, November 26. This year’s Thanksgiving forecast is an increase of 2.3% over last year and marks the third-highest Thanksgiving forecast since AAA began tracking holiday travel in 2000.
The average price for a domestic hotel stay for this holiday season – both November and December – is $598, down 12% from 2022, according to AAA. The average price for an international hotel stay is $772, up 5% from last year.
AAA projects 49.1 million Americans will get behind the wheel, an increase of 1.7% compared to 2022. Drivers could be paying less for gas than last Thanksgiving when the national average was $3.58. This year, the national average peaked in mid-August at $3.87 and has been coming down since, despite global tensions causing ripples through the oil market.
AAA expects 4.7 million people will fly over Thanksgiving, an increase of 6.6% compared to 2022 and the highest number of Thanksgiving air travelers since 2005. Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving are the busiest air travel days ahead of the holiday and the most expensive. While Sunday is typically the busiest day to return home, AAA data shows Monday is also a popular day to fly back after Thanksgiving.
The number of people traveling by cruise, bus, and train over Thanksgiving is up nearly 11% over last year. AAA expects 1.55 million travelers will head out of town using these other modes of transportation, which took a huge hit during the pandemic but have rebounded nicely.
