In the midst of this high-demand holiday travel season, Tripadvisor, the world’s largest travel guidance platform, has just released new data on what American travelers are planning. And we are joined today by Tripadvisor’s Head of Editorial, Sarah Firshein, to break it all down and share some savvy advice to help us navigate this tricky time of year to travel. For more information visit tripadvisor.com
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00:00 In the midst of this high-demand holiday travel season,
00:03 TripAdvisor, the world's largest travel guidance platform,
00:06 has just released new data on what
00:08 American travelers are planning.
00:10 - Yeah, and last week I talked with TripAdvisor
00:12 head of editorial, Sarah Fisherson,
00:16 to share some of her advice to help us
00:19 navigate this tricky time of year to travel.
00:22 Good morning, Sarah, how are you doing this morning?
00:27 - Good morning, I'm well, thank you, how are you?
00:29 - I'm doing good because it's that time of year
00:31 that we start looking at, of course,
00:34 taking those wonderful trips,
00:35 and I love that TripAdvisor's did some data
00:39 and about holiday season traveling,
00:41 so tell me a little about that.
00:42 - Right, so here's the big headline.
00:45 We are in the midst of one of the busiest
00:47 holiday travel seasons ever right now.
00:50 TripAdvisor just released a bunch of data
00:53 about holiday and winter travel,
00:54 and we're seeing 95% of Americans traveling as much,
00:58 if not more than last year,
01:00 and 93% spending as much, if not more.
01:02 So our data's really showing that Americans
01:05 are prioritizing traveling experiences,
01:08 core memories with friends and family
01:10 over other forms of discretionary spending.
01:12 - Yeah, okay, so I know people have been
01:15 planning their traveling, but it changes all the time,
01:18 so what should travelers start looking for
01:20 as they start planning their trips?
01:23 - Right, so now more than ever,
01:25 timing really is everything.
01:27 So take the busiest day for a hotel check-in, for example.
01:32 That's always gonna be December 26th, right?
01:34 It makes a lot of sense when you think about it.
01:36 People tend to spend the Christmas holidays
01:38 at home with friends and family,
01:40 and then jet off on vacation.
01:42 The most expensive day for a hotel check-in this year
01:45 is going to be, also unsurprisingly, New Year's Eve.
01:48 So if you have any flexibility with your timing,
01:51 take advantage of it.
01:52 Take New York City, where I'm sitting, for example.
01:55 The city is always one of our most popular destinations
01:58 for the holiday, but it really does tend
02:00 to sort of empty out after New Year's.
02:03 So if you can squeeze in a trip in January
02:05 after the holidays, but before sort of
02:07 those spring crowds arrive, it'll be overall
02:10 much more affordable, hotel rates will be lower,
02:13 and you'll really feel like you have
02:14 the city all to yourself.
02:15 - You know, Sarah, I feel like a lot of cities
02:18 are realizing people are traveling after the holidays
02:20 'cause they leave up their lights,
02:21 they leave up displays a little longer,
02:23 and that's a perfect time to get cheaper flights.
02:25 Can I ask you another question, too?
02:27 I've been going back and forth and checking my hotel,
02:30 and I've noticed the prices are coming down
02:32 a little bit on my room, so I've been getting
02:34 the extra credit.
02:35 Is that something travelers need to also do?
02:37 Kind of like go back to the site that they
02:39 ordered their tickets on and their rooms on
02:42 to see if the prices have changed?
02:44 - You know, it's always a good idea
02:46 to sort of monitor your booking site,
02:50 regardless of when you're traveling and where you're going.
02:52 But I will say, again, you know,
02:54 demand for travel is up and spending for travel is up.
02:57 So we do know that it's just gonna be
02:58 a really, really busy holiday travel season this year.
03:01 - Yeah.
03:02 Any quick suggestions for us when we are looking
03:04 at those great sites to book on?
03:06 - Well, I have three quick tips generally.
03:10 You know, one, regional airports this time of year
03:13 are really gonna be your friends,
03:15 not only sort of at your destination,
03:16 but around your home as well.
03:18 If you're willing to drive, let's say,
03:19 90 minutes or two hours,
03:21 you could potentially be in for an overall
03:23 much more pleasant airport experience
03:25 and potentially some lower airfare as well.
03:28 And number two, this goes back to the flexibility point
03:30 that you just made.
03:32 We're doing this, you know, with my own family this month.
03:34 We're taking the kids skiing outside of Quebec
03:37 before Christmas this year.
03:39 And what I noticed is that hotel rates
03:41 are substantially lower than that week
03:43 between Christmas and New Year's.
03:45 So again, if you have any flexibility with your timing,
03:47 take advantage of it.
03:49 - Yeah, I like it.
03:49 Can I give one to you guys too?
03:50 'Cause one thing is that,
03:51 don't always pick the direct flights.
03:53 They're more expensive.
03:54 I usually have done the one stop and it's cheaper
03:57 and I'm still getting there on time.
03:59 It's just, I gotta make one stop somewhere.
04:02 - Totally, totally.
04:02 That's a great tip.
04:03 - Yeah, I like it.
04:04 Okay, where can we find more information about,
04:06 of course, the data and again,
04:08 getting those nice rates on flying and traveling?
04:11 - Yeah, so it's all on tripadvisor.com
04:14 and I will sort of leave you with one general tip.
04:16 This is travel 101, holidays or not.
04:19 You know, make sure that your snacks game is on point, right?
04:23 Make sure the iPads are charged for the kids
04:25 and above all, pack your patience
04:27 because it's going to be a very busy
04:28 holiday travel season this year.
04:30 - There you go, I like it.
04:31 And quickly, any popular towns that we should look at?
04:35 - Yeah, totally.
04:36 So our top domestic destinations are New York,
04:38 Orlando and Key West, no surprises.
04:42 But we're also seeing a lot of interest this year
04:44 in international destinations
04:45 across Mexico and the Caribbean.
04:47 So these like really warm beachy spots,
04:49 Punta Cana, Aruba and Cancun,
04:52 as well as some European cities
04:54 that are terrific all the time of year,
04:56 all year round like London and Paris.
04:58 - I like it.
04:58 Sarah, thank you for joining us this morning.
05:00 These are great tips for, of course,
05:02 traveling during the holidays
05:03 and planning those, you know, family trips.
05:06 - Great to be here, thanks so much.
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