Top 10 most popular holiday destinations 2015, plus travel trends

If you were really set on staying home for the holidays this year, you now have one less excuse. While demand is up, airfares are down this holiday travel season, according to the Orbitz Insider Index. Orbitz data shows that airfares decreased by 9%, while hotel prices stayed relatively flat. Yet 71% of Americans are expected to travel during the holidays, up 6% from last year. Where is everybody headed? Take a look at the charts below to see the most popular holiday destinations 2015 for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s.

And be sure to visit www.orbitz.com/holidays for a full guide on traveling over the holidays, including a calendar of the cheapest days to book flights.

THANKSGIVING TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS AND TOP DESTINATIONS

*The average price of Thanksgiving airfare to the top 10 travel destinations is $369 (down 9% from 2014) with hotel costs up 5% to an average of $181 in the top 10 destinations compared to 2014.
*The busiest day to travel for Thanksgiving is Nov. 25 and the least busy travel day is Nov. 30.
*Those interested in Thanksgiving travel on the cheap should consider spending the holiday in Texas with airfare down an average of 11% and hotels down 13% year-over-year.

CHRISTMAS TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS AND TOP DESTINATIONS

*The average price of Christmas airfare is $493 (down 4% from 2014) with hotel costs averaging $201 (up 2% compared to 2014) for average daily hotel prices in the top 10 destinations.

*The busiest day for Christmas travel is Dec. 23 while travelers will find the least crowds at the airports on Dec. 27.

*A ski retreat to Colorado may offer the most savings year-over-year with average airfare to Denver down 7% and hotels down 17% on average when comparing to 2014.

NEW YEAR’S TRAVEL HIGHLIGHTS AND TOP DESTINATIONS

The Orbitz.com Holiday Survey took the pulse of Americans’ opinions on everything from budgets to holiday stress. Below are additional key findings from this year’s holiday travel survey:

*Eighty-six percent of Americans plan to stay at a hotel over the holidays and 66% plan to take flights.
*71% of survey respondents would rather stay at a hotel than with family with the number one reason being that staying at a hotel is less stressful.
*33% of Americans listed long airport lines as something they are dreading this year, compared to just 13% in 2014.
*Vacation packages are hot this year — 34% of respondents have already booked a holiday vacation package rather than booking travel products separately.
*Sixty-four percent of Americans plan to spend more on holiday travel-related expenses than gifts, perhaps in a nod to quality time over material items.

Haven’t booked your trip yet? Holiday travelers can save an extra 15% off hotels using promotion code FEELGOOD on Orbitz.com. Book by Nov. 29 to save.