With the demand for travel higher than ever, those planning holiday getaways may be in for some stressors.
PwC’s Holiday Outlook 2021 survey evaluated what people can expect during the holiday season. When it comes to travel, more people are expected to do so this year.
“In past years, our data revealed that roughly a third of the population traveled during the holidays, most to visit family and friends. That held true even last year when holiday travelers swapped air travel for road trips using personal vehicles,” PwC said. “This year, however, more than half our survey respondents (52%) told us they will travel. Most will travel by car (72%). A sizable minority (40%) plans to travel by air (57% for those with household incomes above $150,000).”
Travelers also plan to spend an average of $1,447 on gifts, travel and entertainment. The problem, though, is that the demand for travel will likely be greater than the supply of flights and rental cars.
“Airlines can’t add capacity fast enough,” said Jonathan Kletzel, leader of PWC’s airline and travel practice told Axios.
Still, Matt Clarke, VP of marketing at online travel agency Kayak, told Travel + Leisure that compared to 2019, “both international and domestic flight searches are down, 52 percent and 43 percent, respectively.”
If you’re hoping to travel this holiday season, it’s best to start planning now.
Hopper’s annual Holiday Travel Guidance Report recommends booking domestic flights for Thanksgiving by Halloween at the latest or about three weeks before Thanksgiving. International travel should be booked even earlier. For the December holidays, you can avoid the biggest headaches by booking no later than Thanksgiving for domestic and international flights.
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