Orlando summer vacation

Word is out: an overwhelming 88 percent of Americans plan to take a summer vacation this year, up 11 percent year-over-year, according to one of the top names in online bookings – Orbitz. The Orbitz Summer Travel Insider Index recently produced a treasure chest of data on what US travelers plan to do this summer, and according to the numbers it looks like traveling to Cancun, Mexico tops this company’s destination list. 

With airfares up this year – generally some 6 percent over last summer’s fares, more than half of those travelers will be using reward points to book hotel and airfare, says the survey.

Cancum vacation

To help offset the costs, Americans are keeping summer travel almost exclusively domestic this year. Cancun, Mexico is the only international destination and leads the top ten air travel list, followed by Las Vegas, Orlando, Seattle and Los Angeles.

On average, airfares are up 6 percent and hotels prices are up 12 percent in top destinations. While costs and the number of travelers are up over the previous summer, consumers are also willing to spend more on their trip this summer. Some 51 percent of travelers surveyed said they would spend $2,000 or more for their summer vacation versus 44 percent in 2013.

Americans are seeking urban getaways this summer, with cities accounting for half of the destinations in this year’s list. While hotel prices are up, travelers can still find hotel rooms under $200 in half of the top 10 destinations.

 

Orbitz Insider Index: 2014 Top 10 Summer Destinations2

Rank

Destination

Avg. Airfare 2014

Avg. Airfare 2013

YOY Change

Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2014

Hotel Avg. Daily Rate 2013

YOY Change

1

Cancun

$530

$535

-1%

$242

$235

+3%

2

Las Vegas

$362

$335

+8%

$117

$106

+10%

3

Orlando

$330

$294

+12%

$119

$111

+7%

4

Seattle

$381

$399

-5%

$190

$180

+6%

5

Los Angeles

$371

$355

+5%

$175

$139

+26%

6

San Francisco

$387

$372

+4%

$225

$205

+10%

7

Denver

$302

$292

+3%

$156

$127

+23%

8

New York

$345

$292

+18%

$303

$275

+10%

9

Boston

$328

$318

+3%

$263

$247

+6%

10

Honolulu

$818

$729

+12%

$248

$215

+15%

 

Travel dates and parsing when to travel can also be a key differentiator when it comes to savings and the overall enjoyment of a vacation. The majority of travelers, according to Orbitz, prefer to take summer vacations in June and July (71 percent). Those who hold out just a bit longer, perhaps wait until August, may benefit from savings and fewer crowds.

Travelers can expect the biggest crowds of the summer on the Friday before Memorial Day (May 23).

The July Fourth holiday falls on a Friday this year. Nearly 60 percent of travelers are taking an additional vacation day to take advantage of the long weekend and will be leaving on Thursday, July 3 – also one of the top 10 busiest travel days this summer.

The busiest travel days for summer are Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Travelers should consider vacations on Sunday through Wednesday for lower volume days, which could also result in less cost.

Top 10 Busiest Days for Summer Travel

1.         Friday, May 23 (Memorial Day weekend)

2.         Saturday, May 24 (Memorial Day weekend)

3.         Thursday, May 29

4.         Friday, May 30

5.         Thursday, June 5

6.         Friday, June 6

7.         Saturday, May 28

8.         Thursday, June 19

9.         Thursday, June 12

10.         Thursday, July 3 (July Fourth weekend)

The Orbitz.com summer survey was fielded by Orbitz from April 14-18, 2014 via insightexpress. 751 U.S. adults aged 18 and older who had traveled within the past 12 months were surveyed.

 

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