We simply bought by way of Labor Day, however the winter vacation season is rapidly approaching. For the second yr in a row, TPG commissioned The Harris Ballot to gauge People’ sentiments round vacation journey. One of the surprising findings was that these surveyed assume they’ve already missed one of the best reserving window for flights.
However we have now excellent news.
The perfect time to ebook flights for Thanksgiving journeys is from the top of September to the top of October. Journeys for Christmas needs to be booked round Halloween and by mid-November on the newest — at the least, in order for you one of the best costs.
Associated: The perfect time to ebook flights for the most cost effective airfare
The perfect time to ebook home flights is one to 2 months forward of time.
The opposite fascinating discovering is that many extra People are planning to journey for the vacations this yr than final yr. That is regardless of some knowledge suggesting demand has fallen.
People are planning extra vacation journey this yr
Practically 2 in 3 People (65%) are planning to journey throughout the vacation season (between Thanksgiving and New 12 months’s) this yr. That is a rise from simply over half (51%) who stated the identical final yr.
Youthful generations appear significantly captivated with touring this vacation season. Era Z and millennials usually tend to categorical intentions to journey and practically twice as prone to plan worldwide flights this vacation season, in comparison with Era X and child boomers.
Amongst those that plan to journey this vacation season, most (83%) are planning to go to household and mates, and greater than half (55%) plan to take a trip throughout this time (much like 2024, when 81% deliberate to go to household and mates and 52% deliberate to take a trip).
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Three in 5 vacation vacationers (60%) plan to fly to their vacation spot this vacation season (much like 2024, when 55% famous they’d be flying for the vacations), with half (50%) planning home flights (up from 44% in 2024) and simply over 1 in 4 (26%) planning to fly internationally (much like 2024, when 24% talked about plans to fly outdoors the U.S. for the vacations).
Amongst vacation vacationers, Gen Z and millennials are extra probably than Gen X and child boomers to say they plan to fly internationally this vacation season (34% every for the previous versus 18% and 16%, respectively, for the latter).
We must always notice that the 2025 survey was carried out in early September, one month sooner than the 2024 survey, which was carried out in early October of final yr. This distinction in timing might have an effect on responses regarding journey.
When to ebook vacation journey — it is not too late
Regardless of our fixed chorus to attend a bit of longer for costs to drop earlier than reserving flights for the vacations, greater than half of vacation vacationers (54%) have initiated reserving at the least a few of their vacation journey, though solely 31% say they’ve accomplished all their preparations.
A majority of those that have began reserving their vacation journey for this yr report having scored financial savings (92%), with resort stays (51%) topping the record, adopted by saving on flights (42%), trip leases (34%) and rental autos (34%).
In fact, when you discover a whole lot on flights for the vacations, leap on it, however proper now, costs for each Thanksgiving and Christmas journeys are greater this yr than they have been final yr, in keeping with new knowledge we collected with our mates at Factors Path.
We discovered costs are about 7% greater yr over yr for each Thanksgiving and Christmas, however costs are prone to drop as we enter the traditionally finest reserving home windows for vacation journeys within the subsequent few weeks and months.
If earlier traits maintain, we anticipate to see some pretty substantial fare drops over the following a number of weeks. Our greatest recommendation is to set Google Flights worth alerts to watch costs simply.
Factors Path is a free net browser extension that reveals factors and miles award costs in Google Flights, together with money fares. It makes use of reams of search knowledge to higher perceive how airways are at present pricing flights.
Associated: Easy methods to use the Factors Path extension to match money and award charges in Google Flights
As a reminder, TPG recommends reserving home flights one to 2 months upfront. It is best to have already set a Google Flights alert, however now could be the time to ebook Thanksgiving journeys, and you need to ebook Christmas journey round Halloween and no later than early November.
In line with The Harris Ballot-TPG survey, about 1 in 3 vacationers who really feel they’ve waited too lengthy to ebook vacation journey say it is as a result of they have been ready for costs to go down (33%) or ready to verify plans with family and friends (35%).
However, as we have instructed, it is not too late to ebook these flights.
It may nonetheless make sense to make use of factors and miles
In fact, whereas it may not all the time be the proper use of factors and miles, utilizing rewards for vacation journey may nonetheless be your finest wager, particularly if money costs are excessive.
The Harris Ballot-TPG survey discovered {that a} whopping 88% of vacation vacationers with rewards program factors or miles plan to redeem them for vacation journey, and extra are planning to make use of their rewards for lodges (54%) than for airfare (32%) this yr.
Simply over 3 in 5 vacation vacationers with journey rewards (62%) plan to redeem extra journey rewards this yr than they did final vacation season.
That is why these of us at TPG love having a stash of factors and miles, whether or not you propose to make use of them for the vacations, last-minute emergencies or that once-in-a-lifetime journey in enterprise class. It is all the time good to have a stash.
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Certainly, 4 in 5 vacation vacationers (80%) are enrolled in journey rewards applications (up from 76% final yr).
Apparently, simply over 2 in 3 vacation vacationers (68%) say worth is a much bigger precedence to them than staying at their favourite resort or flying with their favourite airline when touring this vacation season.
Vacationers are apprehensive about delays and cancellations
Lastly, we discovered that climate delays are the largest fear round vacation journey.
Of these planning journey, 88% have some issues. Simply over half (51%) are apprehensive about climate delays (up from simply 43% final yr), and 47% say they’re apprehensive about excessive volumes of vacationers (much like 47% final yr).
Different issues vacation vacationers are apprehensive about whereas touring embody airline delays and cancellations (32%, up from 27% final yr), packing (26%), misplaced baggage (26%) and touring with presents (18%).
However by no means concern: TPG is right here with all of the suggestions and methods it is advisable win at vacation journey.
Associated studying:
Survey technique: This survey was carried out on-line inside the US by The Harris Ballot on behalf of The Factors Man from Sept. 2-4, 2025, amongst 2,093 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, amongst whom 1,390 are planning to journey this vacation season. The 2024 survey was carried out on-line inside the US by The Harris Ballot on behalf of The Factors Man from Oct. 3-7, 2024, amongst 2,085 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, amongst whom 1,069 have been planning to journey throughout the 2024 vacation season. The sampling precision of Harris on-line polls is measured by utilizing a Bayesian credible interval. For these research, the pattern knowledge is correct to inside +/- 2.5 proportion factors utilizing a 95% confidence stage. This credible interval will probably be wider amongst subsets of the surveyed inhabitants of curiosity.
