‘Tis the season to plan for holiday travel, and some cities are proving more popular than others.
Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro was the top trending international destination for the busy December holiday season around Christmas and New Year’s, according to data from Google Flights shared with Travel + Leisure. Renowned for its famous beaches, more than 300 hiking trails, and cultural gems, Rio is popular for its sunny skies throughout the month of December.
Google’s analysis was based on increases in year-over-year searches for flights between Dec. 21 and Jan. 4 from airports in the Untied States.
Beyond Rio, travelers opted for warm-weather destinations with the Caribbean island of St. Lucia coming in as the second-most trending international destination, followed by Marrakech in Morocco.
The December holiday season is a popular time for international vacations, but Thanksgiving is when the real crowds come out. Last year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) saw record-breaking passenger numbers over the Thanksgiving holiday, the Associated Press noted.
The city of Columbia, South Carolina, was the top trending destination for Thanksgiving travel this year, according to Google. That was thanks in part to its charming tree-lined streets, classic architecture, and famed southern cuisine.
Second on the list was Bozeman, Montana. Popular among outdoor enthusiasts for hiking and its proximity to Yellowstone National Park, the city boasts new hotel and lodging options perfect for any traveler. That was followed by Spokane, Washington; Detroit, Michigan; and Omaha, Nebraska rounding out the top five.
Travelers hoping to save should consider spending Thanksgiving aboard. That’s because most Americans visit family within the U.S., resulting in a dramatic drop in international demand.
“It’s a feast-time domestically and a famine-time internationally,” Scott Keyes, the founder of Going.com, previously told T+L. “What do airlines do to fill all those planes flying to Paris and Cancún and Barcelona? Simple: slash the fare.”
With less than 80 days until Thanksgiving, travel experts said now may be a sweet spot to book holiday travel for less. The months of September and October have historically been the best times to book holiday travel, according to data from Priceline.
For its part, Google said it found flights were typically cheapest 35 days before the scheduled departure for Thanksgiving and 51 days before the scheduled departure around Christmas.
“When it comes to planning holiday travel, there are two paths you can take. If your plans are already locked, like Thanksgiving dinner with extended family, I always say you should book early and make sure you’re on the best flight that fits your schedule,” James Byers, the group product manager for Google Search, told T+L. “But if you have more flexibility and just want to get away in late December, for example, you can often save big by setting price alerts and waiting to book something during that sweet spot in mid-October through mid-November.”
