Have you ever thought about skipping Christmas? No presents to wrap, no holiday dinner to prepare, no packing the car to head to Grandmas. Perhaps inspired by the John Grisham Novel, Skipping Christmas and the movie Christmas with the Kranks starring Jamie Lee Curtis, Tim Allen, and Dan Aykroyd….the idea of taking a vacation instead of celebrating Christmas at home seems to be more popular than ever!
But is this really a trend? How many people actually follow through when they daydream of lying on a beach rather than wrapping the fuzzy reindeer socks for their niece Emma? Here at Travels by Danielle we have seen a 23% increase in bookings for travel during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Additionally we have seen a 35% increase in the number of bookings the week between Christmas and New Year’s as well as an increase in last minute bookings for Christmas travel.
This is not a NEW “thing” though, is it? Traveling over Christmas break is definitely not a new trend. In fact, traveling the week between Christmas and New Year’s is one of the most popular weeks in the year to travel. Not only is it a popular week for Americans but many Canadians and European travelers choose this week over any other week of the year. Many resorts, particularly those in the Caribbean, can be as much as 4 times the amount per night when compared to any other week of the year! The real kicker…it is significantly more expensive to travel the week between Christmas and New Year’s but availability becomes scarce and booking early is key. Bottom line: book early and get ready to spend some money!
What stands out the most about the holiday bookings we have seen is that many clients WANT to travel on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. In fact, one of our clients have “I have dreamed of having my toes in the sand when I wake up on Christmas Day!” Not only have clients been more willing and even excited to travel over Christmas but they are bringing their friends and family along as well! Almost 60% of our bookings that are “skipping Christmas” are traveling with large group of friends and family. Among the most popular: Caribbean Cruises, Disney, Universal Studios Orlando, River cruises traveling to Christmas markets, and Caribbean all-inclusive resorts.
Only time will tell if this “trend” will continue and we will see an increase in “skipping Christmas” bookings in the next few years. One thing we know for sure, families are moving away from tradition and opting to escape the stress and hustle and bustle that Americans have come to know as Christmas! Either way you choose to spend the holidays, we hope that whatever it is, fills you with less stress and more time together with the ones you love!
Hello to all my wannabe world travelers! If you love to travel or aspire to travel more, you have come to the right place! I’m Danielle, owner and travel agent at Travels By Danielle LLC. I am always talking about travel, ask anyone that knows me (but you probably can’t, but you get the idea!). It is my passion, what I am almost always reading about on the internet, and dreaming about. My husband and I have 4 children (currently ages 7-20), and we decided many years ago that instead of gifts we would gift our children experiences. What started as a birthday trip for my son to Destin, FL 15 years ago has turned into several trips around the world, with all 6 of us! My husband tries to slow my travel ideas down sometimes but my motto is “You never know what tomorrow will bring, so why not today?” If we wait until we retire, or the kids are older to travel, we will miss the memories we can make today. I started Travels By Danielle to help others plan and book their vacations and most importantly realize that the vacations they dream of, can become a reality!
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Contact us: Danielle@TravelsByDanielle.com OR 704-918-3787 Instagram: @travelsbydanielle
Awesome post! Keep up the great work! 🙂
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