Both Thanksgiving and Christmas are heavy-travel holidays, but which one is the cheapest? Here’s our answer.
With holiday times approaching, many Americans book their flights to celebrate with their families and friends during the most beautiful time of the year. While air travel suffered its most significant blow last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, flight bookings are steadily increasing in the US in 2021. Since March, Americans have been booking flights for their end-of-year holiday trips, mainly Thanksgiving and Christmas. There’s nothing more beautiful than gathering around the dinner table on Thanksgiving or Christmas to enjoy some quality time with family members or friends. It’s those special times of the year that allow people to recharge and get ready to move on with their lives, whether on a professional or personal level.
However, people must take into consideration several important issues when traveling for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
The Best Time To Leave: Thanksgiving Or Christmas and Why?
While the holiday times are approaching, millions of people are running to get their gifts, book their travel flights, or plan for their road trip to reconnect with their families during the most memorable time of the year. What is most crucial during those times is to have a proper travel plan, particularly knowing the best time to travel for the holidays. The surprising answer is that it is best to travel on the actual day of the holiday, whether it was on Thanksgiving day or on Christmas Day.
The most obvious reason to travel during this time is that airline fares will be the lowest, and one will feel that they’re traveling like a millionaire, although they don’t have a millionaire’s budget. Another benefit of traveling on the actual days of the holidays are the light crowds during that time, and the short waiting lines, as a result. Also, it would be much cheaper to book a first-class seat on the airplane or get a luxurious hotel suite when traveling on Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day.
Also, some airlines offer holiday-themed meals, entertainment, and movies to people traveling with them on the holidays. Moreover, people will not get stuck in road traffic when reaching their families’ homes during those days.
Another Good Time For Traveling During The End-Of-Year Holidays
There’s another secret best timing to travel for the end-of-year holidays, and it is no less attractive than traveling on the actual day of Christmas or Thanksgiving. This time has proved to be the best to travel all year, and it falls in the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is very relaxing to travel between the two holidays since there will be no air or road traffic during this time of the year. There will be no waiting in security lines, and people will find spacious seats at hotel swim-up bars and significant discounts at several accommodations. Most importantly, people will be saving heavily on airline tickets when traveling between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Moreover, those not intending to spend the holidays with their families in the states can travel to European and Caribbean destinations because flights rates will be at their lowest during that time. Hotels in those countries will also be offering attractive discounts and rates to encourage people to book rooms and suites at their properties. For all those reasons, traveling for the end-of-year holidays during the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas proved to be the best time to benefit from several offers and have the most relaxing trip.
Whether traveling for Christmas or Thanksgiving, one must book their flight during September or earlier to secure the best ticket prices, which will steadily increase as the holidays approach. However, several people face the difficult choice of traveling for Thanksgiving or Christmas. For those taking long flights, the time spent to reach their final destination and the hefty ticket prices they pay might seem stressful and concerning. This is why it is essential to wisely choose what time to travel during the holidays and weigh the available options.
Over the years, studies have shown that traveling to most US states on Thanksgiving instead of Christmas is cheaper and more cost-effective. For instance, a survey conducted by Hipmunk in 2015 showed that average flight prices were generally more affordable when traveling for Thanksgiving than traveling on Christmas. Additionally, this year, round-trip ticket prices in September hovered around $300 for domestic flights during Thanksgiving time, while the price mark for round-trip tickets around Christmas was as high as $430.
Thus, traveling for Thanksgiving is the cheapest and a much better option than traveling during Christmas and paying skyrocketing prices that will empty travelers’ pockets before meeting their loved ones.
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