What to Know About Driving During Thanksgiving, Winter Holiday Travel Periods

21.11.2023 - 01:29 / travelpulse.com / Donald Wood

A recent study found that the majority of travelers are hitting the road during the upcoming Thanksgiving and Winter Holiday travel period.

According to a survey from Enterprise Mobility, 56 percent of Americans surveyed plan at least one overnight trip at least 50 miles away from home between November and January 2024, with 61 percent of those journeys taking place in an owned or rented vehicle this holiday season.

While 48 percent of trips are planned in a personal vehicle, just 11 percent are anticipated to be a rental vehicle, and two percent will utilize a rideshare service. Another 28 percent plan to use loyalty points toward booking travel, and a third of those respondents plan to use them toward a rental vehicle. 

“The great American road trip is alive and well, and we are seeing strong demand at both our neighborhood and airport locations and an increase in holiday travel bookings compared to last year,” Enterprise Mobility Senior Vice President Will Withington said.

Travelers are planning an average of two trips this season, with Christmas being the most popular holiday for travel (66 percent), followed by Thanksgiving (49 percent). More than half of the planned journeys this holiday season are to visit friends and family (58 percent).

As for destinations, California, Florida and Texas are the top domestic hotspots, while Mexico, Canada, Australia, the Dominican Republic and Greece top the list of international vacation destinations.

Generationally, Millennials (age 27-42) are the most likely to have travel plans this holiday season (62 percent), while Generation Z (age 18-26) is the least likely (43 percent).

And if you’re wondering what Americans listen to on their road trips, 90 percent of people said they would turn on at least some holiday music.

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