Americans love to travel for the holidays and that will once again be the case in 2025 despite the government shutdown's crippling effect on air travel and ongoing economic woes, according to a new study from Upgraded Points.
The travel experts recently polled 2,370 U.S. adults—balanced by state and gender—to measure typical holiday travel behaviors and plans for the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's.
More than half of Americans (56 percent) will celebrate at home, while about one-third (34 percent) will go to someone else's place, and nearly one in 10 (9 percent) will head out on vacation.
When it comes to Thanksgiving, only about 28 percent will travel 50-plus miles from home, but that figure jumps during Christmas, with 34 percent traveling 50-plus miles and one in 10 venturing 500-plus miles, according to Upgraded Points.
The states with the residents most likely to travel for the holidays are as follows:
- Ohio: 62 percent
- Connecticut: 58 percent
- Texas: 56.1 percent
- Iowa: 54 percent (tie)
- Washington: 54 percent (tie)
- Virginia: 53.7 percent
- Nebraska: 52.9 percent
- South Dakota: 52.6 percent
- California: 50 percent (tie)
- New York: 50 percent (tie)
Nevada lies on the other end of the spectrum, with 72.7 percent of residents expected to stay home. Other states with minimal holiday season movement in 2025 will include Utah, Hawaii, Missouri, Oklahoma, Michigan, Idaho, Pennsylvania, Kansas and Indiana.
Downtown Deadwood, South Dakota during the holidays. (Photo Credit: Patrick Clarke)
With FAA flight cuts implemented due to the recently resolved government shutdown, air travel has been snarled weeks before the peak holiday travel season and some travelers are understandably avoiding the airport this year.
According to Upgraded Points, 74 percent will not fly at all, while 26 percent will fly at least once, and 14 percent are opting for long road trips to avoid airport stress.
Budgets remain a hurdle to holiday travel as well, with 21 percent skipping travel because of cost. Meanwhile, about one-fifth are trimming gifts to afford trips, and about three in 10 expect to spend $1,000 or more on holiday travel.
Nearly half of Americans (44 percent) feel obligated to travel this time of year. However, 42 percent would rather take a vacation than visit family.
Colorado is the top state for long-haul holiday getaways, with approximately one-quarter of residents (24.5 percent) planning to travel 500 miles or more, and one-fifth expecting to spend 10 hours or more en route to their destination.
Trailing Colorado are Arizona, Missouri, Massachusetts and New Mexico, where between 17 percent and 20.8 percent of residents plan to travel 500 miles or more from home.
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