Ahhh the holidays. There’s nothing quite like hitting the ice rink with friends or having a heated family debate over fruitcake. But before you kick off the season, you need to know how to get wherever you’re going. That’s why we’re here with everything you need to plan your holiday trips home (or away from home).
Holiday travel trends, in a nutshell.
The holidays just got more affordable. 💸
Good news: flight prices are down 7% over the December holidays this year.
The East is hitting the skies.
Montreal and Toronto rank as the top 2 busiest airports for the December holiday period. If you’re flying out of them, give yourself enough time to get through security.
Palm trees in December. 🌴
Seems most travelers are ditching their scarves and packing the sunscreen this December holiday season: Cancún, Fort Lauderdale and Orlando top our list of most popular destinations.
Wondering when to book? 🤔
- Domestic flights: book 2 – 5 weeks ahead.
- International flights: book 5 – 7 weeks ahead.
More things to know.
The cheapest domestic destinations to visit in December are:
- Edmonton, Alberta ($415 average airfare)
- Calgary, Alberta ($514 average airfare)
- Vancouver, British Columbia ($550 average airfare)
- Toronto, Ontario ($581 average airfare)
And here’s where to find the lowest international prices for the month:
- Las Vegas, Nevada ($547 average airfare)
- New York, New York ($592 average airfare)
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida ($630 average airfare)
- Fort Myers, Florida ($646 average airfare)
Need a way to keep your holiday itinerary tidy? Use KAYAK Trips.
Methodology:
December holiday data (encompasses Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Hanukkah and New Year’s Eve): KAYAK considered searches between 3/1/2024 and 9/1/2024 for travel between 12/19/2024 and 1/8/2025. For year over year comparative data, KAYAK used search dates between 2/27/2023 and 8/27/2023 for travel between 12/14/2023 and 1/3/2024.
Best time to book data: KAYAK considered historical searches for the travel period between 12/14/2023 – 1/3/2024 for searches 6 months prior from a Canada origin. The best time to book was determined by looking at average round-trip, economy airfare for days out from travel.
