Holiday travel trends revealed including shocking Gen Z trend

Dec.23 will be the busiest travel day during the holiday season this year, according to a new survey.The survey of 2,000 Americans who plan to travel for the holidays this year looked into the most hectic travel dates, top destinations, popular modes of transport and the cost of holiday travel. For those embarking on a trip for the December holidays, Dec.

23 is the most common travel day on the first leg of the trip and post Dec.31 is the most common time to head home.The day before Thanksgiving, Nov.

28, will be the most popular travel day heading to a Thanksgiving destination and the most popular timeframe to head home is after Nov.30. And for those traveling for New Year’s Day and Eve, the eve itself, Dec.

31, and Jan.2 will be the busiest days.Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of IHG Hotels & Resorts, the research served as a comprehensive report for 2024 holiday travel trends.The poll found that Florida is the top destination for those traveling out of state for Thanksgiving and the December holidays, and New York is the top stop for New Year’s travelers headed to another state.     The least popular destination for Thanksgiving and New Year’s is North Dakota, and Vermont will be the least-visited state in December.     And while holiday vacationers are most looking forward to seeing family (56%) and eating good food (37%), they’re most dreading the cost of travel (29%) along with navigating lines and crowds (26%) while in transit. More than a quarter (27%) even have blackout dates on their calendars during the holiday season when they refuse to travel, with Gen Z (40%) being most likely to have blackout dates. “We’re all looking forward to having some downtime this holiday season,” said Connor Smith, vice president of masterbrand strategy and awareness at IHG Hotels & Resorts.

“Whether you’re traveling near or far to spend time with loved ones or squeezing in a little ‘you time,’ we have options that suit a...