The holiday season is fast approaching, and now is the perfect time to secure savings on upcoming travel. According to Expedia’s Holiday Travel Outlook, there’s an uptick in flight searches, particularly for international destinations.
Here are some essential tips for booking and traveling for planning the days ahead.

Thanksgiving

• Book by: Oct. 29 to save up to $150 on international airfare and $90 on domestic
• Cheapest days to fly: Depart on Thanksgiving Day or Monday, Nov. 25; return Tuesday, Dec. 3 or Friday, Nov. 29
• Busiest and most expensive days: Wednesday, Nov. 27; Sunday, Dec. 1 (nearly $100 more than the cheapest days)
• Trending international destinations: Tokyo (+55%), Madrid (+20%), Edinburgh (+20%), London (+15%), Munich (+15%)

Christmas

• Book by: Oct. 31 (or around two months out from departure) to save around $60 on domestic trips and $150 on international flights.
• Cheapest days to fly: Christmas Eve and Christmas; or Monday to Wednesday the week before (Dec. 16-18)
• Busiest and most expensive days: Friday to Sunday, Dec. 20-22 ($100+ more than the cheapest days) and Thursday, Dec. 26
• Trending international destinations: Tokyo (+75%), Zurich (+65%), Kingston (+50%), São Paulo (+45%), Munich (+40%)

Get a Room for the Holidays
Travelers are already on the hunt for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s accommodations. According to Hotels.com, these destinations are seeing notable increases in searches for holidays,* highlighting the most sought-after stays of the season. 

Thanksgiving: NFL is fueling Thanksgiving tourism, with Green Bay as the most-searched destination. The Packers face off against the Miami Dolphins at home.

• Green bay, WI (417%); Savoie, France (333%); Tallassee, TN (253%); Toronto, Ontario, Canada (216%); Indianapolis, IN (117%); Alaska (66%)

Christmas: Travelers are clearly spending Christmas in the Caribbean this year, with Kingston claiming the top spot. And Rovaniemi, Finland, famously known as the official hometown of Santa Claus, is also on the rise.

•  Kingston, Jamaica (461%); Pittsburg, PA (103%); Canterbury, England (102%); Rovaniemi, Finland (91%); Barbados (74%); Sint Maarten (60%)

New Years Eve: Ringing in the new year with sand between our toes as East Coast beach cities take the top spots for NYE.

• North Myrtle Beach (1130%); Virginia Beach (233%); Ocean City, MD (202%); Zurich, Switzerland (62%); NiagaraFalls (63%); Québec City (59%)

*Taken from the 400 most-searched travel destinations; number indicates a percentage increase in searches

Sober October Travel: Mocktails on the Rise

Sober October is here, and travelers are embracing alcohol-free alternatives more than ever. Reviews mentioning “mocktails” have surged by 50% year over year on Hotels.com, with guests raving about the creative nonalcoholic offerings at top hotels worldwide. Whether you’re joining the Sober October movement or just want to explore delicious mocktails, check out some of the properties with standout reviews for their alcohol-free drinks:

• Ette Hotel in Orlando features mocktails devised by a master mixologist and a zero-proof bar.
• The Peninsula Chicago offers afternoon tea service with artisanal mocktails.
• The Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans houses the iconic spinning Carousel Bar, which serves some of the most creative mocktails in the city.
• Wynn Las Vegas features “Drinking Well,” a zero-proof cocktail program with ingredients like reishi mushrooms, lion’s mane, ashwagandha and maca.

Spooky Season Draws Travelers Looking for Frights
New data reveals that searches for “haunted” destinations on the Hotels.com app see an increase during October, with New Orleans showing the highest spike in interest due to its chilling history.

From eerie tales of past residents to supernatural sightings, many hotels go the extra mile to embrace the spooky spirit of the season. Here are some of the most reviewed spooky hotels.

• The Mizpah Hotel, opened in 1907, was one of the first luxury hotels in Nevada. In 2024, it is said to be one of the most haunted and offers ghost hunting tours. One guest review reported that “Our Ghost Radar went off the chain in our room. We didn’t have to go far to hunt some ghosts.”
• Guests at the Hassayampa Inn in Prescott, AZ, have reported hearing the wailing of their ghost “Faith,” who died of a broken heart in 1927.
• Building 5 in the Hotel Provincial is a former military hospital in the French Quarter, haunted by Confederate soldiers. One reviewer reported that “something pushed my 15-year-old daughter out of bed during the night.”
• Inside the Read House Hotel in Chatanooga, TN, room 311 is said to be haunted by the ghost of Annalisa. Guests can take a tour of the room to see if anything paranormal happens and if not, can head down to the bar to try a drink named after her.
• For those who are looking for more fun than fear, The Woodlands Resort in Texas offers Halloween activities for the whole family, including the dog, with their Halloween Brunch Pet Party.

Hotel Room Innsights Report: When Guests Turn Ordering Off-Menu Into an Artform 
In the recently released Hotel Room Innsights Report, Hotels.com gives a glimpse into the kitchen and shares some of the strangest room service requests. The most head-scratching requests include:

• An Evian-filled bathtub so a child can bathe in the purest water
• Customized allergen menu for their pet, i.e., gluten free, dairy free, etc.
• Burnt toast
• A caviar hot dog
• Fresh goat milk
• Four pounds of bananas
• A high five from a team member to ensure their room service request was read

Snowbirding gets a glow up: How Gen Z Is Redefining Snowbirding for Mental Wellness
As the days get colder and the sun sets sooner, many people begin to see negative effects on their mood and mental health. However, a growing number of Gen Z travelers have found a unique way to combat these seasonal blues: by chasing the sun.

Enter “Glowbirding” — a new twist on the traditional snowbirding trend. For young travelers, it’s about prioritizing mental wellness and self-care by seeking out warm, sunny destinations that keep them energized and mentally balanced.

Gen Z snowbirds are opting for different, trendier destinations both within the U.S. and abroad. Some top destinations include:

• Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona
• Palm Springs, California,
• Hilton Head, South Carolina
• Tucson, Arizona
• Faro District (The Algarve), Portugal

Book Your Winter Break: Snag These 5 Family-Favorite Homes by Nov. 11
Looking ahead to winter break? Vrbo data indicates that Nov. 11 marks the perfect time to book your winter break vacation rentals before the holiday rush. For those seeking a bit of inspiration, here are some of the most searched for winter break destinations this year — because sometimes, the perfect holiday gift is a trip! Hosts of these homes have indicated that these homes are welcome to children via the filter.

• Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, TN – 4-bedroom cabin with a game room and movie room is perfect for a cozy family stay
• Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper, CO – Family friendly home that sleep 10+ with a children’s room and game room
• Maui, HI – Large Maui home with bunkbeds, a playroom and plenty of outdoor space
• Florida Keys, FL- 4-bedroom, canal front home provides games, paddles boards and bikes for a fun family stay
• Kissimmee, FL – 6-bedroom home with the perfect Disney touches for the princesses or superheroes of the family

For those looking to book ski vacations in places like Breckenridge, Oct. 25 marks the best time to book before peak ski season.