Illustration by Dustin Elliot
This holiday season, I’ll probably watch it all. Snow in the Pacific Northwest for Thanksgiving, hurricanes in Chile for Christmas, and scorching heat in Buenos Aires for New Years.
There will also be anarchy. there is Always chaos.
The busy 2025 leisure travel season, which runs from today through early January, will be one for the record books. You may also be tempted to stay home, dealing with wars, congressional gridlock, the end of shutdowns, and hordes of travelers seeking “revenge” after the pandemic.
Luckily, this guide to holiday travel in 2025 will help you deal with it. And before I go on…
When are the travel holidays in the United States?
Holiday travel in the United States focuses on three holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s.
Thank you
If you can imagine the high prices and chaos of summer crammed into a single week, it’s Thanksgiving. This is an 11-day period that runs from the week before Thanksgiving until Cyber Monday. It’s busy – and expensive. The Monday before Thanksgiving and the Friday after Thanksgiving are the best days to travel by car. If you live outside the US and are considering traveling, Avoid the last week of November.
Also, if you’re planning travel this Thanksgiving season, be prepared to deal with a partial air travel shutdown. There will be chaos as airlines deal with the new schedules and crew scheduling issues. Personally, I would limit myself to only carry-on.
Christmas
Singapore Airport Christmas Tree
The Christmas holidays last from a week to 10 days, with Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and the previous and next weekend affected. The last big travel holiday season of the year has some of the most dangerous weather, at least in the US, with snow and ice causing flight delays and cancellations and traffic jams in major cities. And since Christmas is celebrated all over the world, to avoid the chaos you can simply go to Asia or the Middle East, where Christmas is not celebrated as a religious holiday. But, the commercialization of Christmas is reaching these areas as well.
notable event: The Christmas holidays have begun to encroach on New Year’s, at least in terms of pricing and availability. Don’t expect peace in the last week of December. If you want better prices and less traffic, aim for another weekend in January.
new Year’s Day
The first big travel holiday period of the year lasts only a few days, from December 30 to January 2. This is the quietest of all the winter holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years).
notable event: Airlines start their fare sales at the end of the year. The first week of January is often called “Dead Week” because it is so quiet, which means more deals on hotels, tours, and other activities.
Car rental rates are also stable.
Car rental rates average $42 per day during Thanksgiving, which is 17 percent less than last year. The daily rate is $10 higher on Christmas, about the same as last year.
Hotel prices are higher in larger cities, but deals are available.
Hotel rates for a Thanksgiving stay in the United States currently average $206 per night (up 9 percent from last year). The average room rate for Christmas is $233 per night (up 7 percent).
Gas prices will remain stable
The Department of Energy estimates that despite turmoil in the Middle East, fuel prices in the United States will remain stable. Fuel prices should remain stable around $3.80 per gallon.
It’s less clear how travel will play out during the holidays. We don’t know how many cancellations and delays there will be. The Department of Transportation and FAA say the effects of the government shutdown will last long.
Are the holidays a good time to travel?
No, whether you drive, fly, or take the train, you’ll likely experience higher prices and congestion than you would in the United States. However, you can avoid the frenzy of holiday travel with a few simple strategies:
aim for in between days
The week before Thanksgiving, two weeks before Christmas, and the week after New Year’s are quiet times to travel. But still, it’s not a slow time of year. There will be traffic on the roads. But if you must travel during the holidays, these are the days to do so. Once you fall into the “red” zone just before and after the holiday, you’ll have to pay more and wait longer. Avoid red zones at all costs.
get out quickly
Board the first flight of the day. Start your road trip early in the morning. Why? Because everyone else will wait to have a leisurely breakfast before leaving and that’s when the crowd will start gathering. Another benefit: Typically, the plane is parked at the gate the night before, so you’ll usually get an on-time departure (unless you’re snowed in). These strategies can seriously reduce your stress when you travel during the holidays.
Look, holiday travel advice is repeated every year and rarely changes. But if there is something new, you will read it here first.
about this story
I’ve written this article so many times – and for so many news outlets – that I’ve lost count. So I decided to create my ultimate guide to holiday travel. (I always say this is my last time, and then next year comes, so please don’t hold me to it.) This is the result of three decades of holiday travel and writing about other people’s mistakes. But if I have missed anything please let me know. This story was researched, written and fact-checked by Christopher Elliott with the help of his friends at Priceline and Hopper. Andy Smith and his team edited the article and Dustin Elliott illustrated it. Last minute amendments were made by Charles Leocha, TravelersUnited’s editor, who primarily deals with the latest shutdown news and pricing changes.
Also read:
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