What is the outlook for the winter travel season?
The outlook for this winter travel season is that it will be about the same as last year, so it will be extremely busy. If you plan to travel during this period, make your plans now.
What are the best ways for travelers to save money?
One of the best ways to save money is to plan your trips and make hotel and plane reservations early. If you plan to travel by plane and have not made your reservations yet, you should make those reservations now. Christmas and New Year’s fall on a Wednesday; this should smooth out the demand for airline travel. Those who only get one day off for Christmas must take the rest as vacation days. They may not take the whole week off. It also means that those traveling the weekend after Christmas will be competing with those traveling for New Year’s celebrations. For those traveling by air for the Christmas holiday, traveling on the 18th or before, or traveling on Christmas Eve, may result in lower prices. The Saturday after Christmas is a good day to return. However, if your plans are flexible, always look at flights a few days before and after your preferred days. Also, if you have the option of several airports in your area, check flights from those airports. New Year’s outbound traffic will converge this year with Christmas inbound, making it a busy time to fly. This could make finding a low-priced flight to return from a Christmas holiday, as well as outbound flights for New Year’s, difficult. The Saturday before New Year’s may be your best option. The 2nd or 3rd of January are good times to return from a New Year’s celebration, avoiding the busier weekend days.
When booking hotels, if you do not stay with a preferred brand, use an online travel agent site such as Booking.com or Expedia to get an idea of the hotels available at your destination. Once you have selected your hotel choice, go to the hotel's website. If the prices are the same or lower, I recommend booking directly on the brand’s site, becoming a loyalty member, and adding your loyalty number to the reservation. This may give you advantages such as free internet and preferential treatment if the hotel is overbooked.
If your travel dates are not bound by school holidays, travel before or after these peak periods. Many destinations and cruise ships start their holiday activities and decorations early in December and continue them into early January. If you can take your holiday vacation in mid-December, you can save on hotels and airfares while enjoying a less crowded destination. Cruises the week before Christmas can cost 60% less than cruises that include the Christmas holiday.
What are some logistical dos and don’ts for winter travel?
If you are traveling by car in an area subject to snowstorms, check the weather along your route for both the departure and return dates. If you are traveling by plane and can get to the airport early, take an early flight. Many of the planes for early flights are parked at the airport overnight, reducing the possibility of a delay.
How will inflation impact Americans’ travel during the winter holidays?
The good news is that gasoline should be cheaper than last year, and airfare should be about the same. Restaurants have increased their prices in recent years due to higher labor and food costs. This may lead some budget-conscious travelers to trade down their restaurant choices or select more affordable menu items. Rental car prices skyrocketed after the pandemic due to supply chain problems that increased car prices. They remain elevated today. As a result, some travelers will opt to use public transportation or ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft at their destination rather than rent a car. High rental car prices could also cause some travelers to choose driving to their destination instead of flying.
Methodology
In order to determine the best winter holiday destinations, WalletHub compared 69
of the most populated U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, across six key
dimensions: 1) Travel Costs & Hassles, 2) Local Costs, 3) Attractions, 4) Weather,
5) Activities and 6) Safety.
We evaluated those dimensions using 37 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale, with a score of 100 representing the most ideal winter travel conditions. For metrics marked with an asterisk (*), we calculated the population size using the square root of the population in order to avoid overcompensating for minor differences across cities.
Of the 130 MSAs in our initial sample, we eliminated those for which data limitations existed. We then classified each of the remaining MSAs as either a “cold” or “warm” destination according to the following temperature guidelines:
Cold: ≤ 46 degrees F (50-year average December temperature)
Warm: ≥ 57 degrees F (50-year average December temperature)
Next, we eliminated the MSAs with average winter temperatures of 47 to 56 degrees
F, a range we designated as a “dead zone,” with the exception of the top 10 MSAs,
which were assigned to the climate group with the nearest average winter temperature
if they fell within this dead zone. We chose to include the top 10 MSAs on account
of their popularity as travel destinations regardless of the season. In total, 69
MSAs were included in our final sample.
For the flight analysis, we collected data on Oct. 3 and used Dec. 24 as the departure date and Jan. 2 as the return date based on the following assumptions inspired by the findings of an American Express travel survey:
December is the most popular month for winter-holiday travel; and
The average American considers 10 days the ideal length for a vacation.
Finally, we determined each MSA’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate
its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order our sample.
Travel Costs & Hassles - Total Points = 18
Cost of Cheapest Flight: 30% (~5.40 Points)
Duration of Cheapest Flight: 10% (~1.80 Points)
Number of Connections on Cheapest Flight: 5% (~0.90 Points)
Cost of Shortest Flight: 30% (~5.40 Points)
Duration of Shortest Flight: 10% (~1.80 Points)
Number of Connections on Shortest Flight: 5% (~0.90 Points)
Share of Delayed Flights: 10% (~1.80 Points)
Note: For simplicity, we recorded only the longest leg of each flight. Given the often
stark disparities in flight costs and travel times, we also chose the best deals for
each metric within a $30 range or one-hour window.
For example, if the cheapest round-trip flight between Washington and Los Angeles would cost $700 but it only cost $25 more for the second-cheapest flight and would reduce the total travel time by two hours, we chose the latter.
Similarly, if the shortest round-trip flight between Washington and Los Angeles would take six hours each way but it was only 25 minutes longer for the second-shortest and would save the traveler $200, we again chose the latter.
Local Costs - Total Points = 18
Cost of Three-Star Hotel Room: 25% (~4.50 Points)
Average Price for Two-Person Meal: 25% (~4.50 Points)
Taxi-Fare Cost: 25% (~4.50 Points)
Cost of Living: 25% (~4.50 Points)
Attractions - Total Points = 18
Number of Attractions: 60% (~10.80 Points)
Diversity of Attractions: 40% (~7.20 Points)
Note: This metric was calculated using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index, a commonly
accepted measure of market concentration that also serves effectively as a general-purpose
measure of diversity.
Weather - Total Points = 18
Note: The metrics below are based on WalletHub’s “Cities with the Best & Worst Weather”
ranking.
Winter Weather: Total Points 18
Warm Weather: Total Points 18
Activities - Total Points = 18
Cold-Weather ActivitiesProximity of Ski Slopes: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Ice-Skating Rinks per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Music Venues per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Food Festivals per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Restaurants per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Availability of Affordable, High-Quality Restaurants: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Note: “High Quality” refers to a star rating of at least 4.5.
Wellness Centers & Spas per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Shopping Centers per Capita*: 11.11% (~2.00 Points)
Warm-Weather ActivitiesRestaurants per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Availability of Affordable, High-Quality Restaurants: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Note: “High Quality” refers to a star rating of at least 4.5.
Amusement Parks per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Number of Amusement & Water Parks on TripAdvisor’s “Top 25 Amusement & Water Parks"
List: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Wellness Centers & Spas per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Shopping Centers per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Music Venues per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Coffee & Tea Shops per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Shops per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Tennis Courts per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Public & Municipal Golf Courses per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Baseball Diamonds per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Basketball Hoops per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Bike-Rental Facilities per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Food Festivals per Capita*: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Quality of Parks: 6.25% (~1.13 Points)
Note: This metric is based on WalletHub’s “Best & Worst Cities for Recreation” ranking.
Safety - Total Points: 10
Violent-Crime Rate: 28.57% (~2.86 Points)
Property-Crime Rate: 28.57% (~2.86 Points)
Perception of Safety (Safety walking alone during daylight/night): 14.29% (~1.43 Points)
Note: These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past
3 years. If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value
is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.
DUI-Related Fatal Incidents per Capita: 14.29% (~1.43 Points)
Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths: 14.29% (~1.43 Points)