Holiday travel comes with questions. Lots of them. Will fares fall? Which dates cost less? Where are the savings hiding? In the 2026 Holiday Travel Check-In, we dug into KAYAK’s search data so you don’t have to. See when prices have historically dipped, which dates deliver better value, which destinations are heating up, and where prices are cooling off, all without making holiday planning a full-time job.
Holiday travel 2026: key takeaways.
- Best value domestic destination: Punta Gorda, FL — $307 round-trip on average.
- Best value international destination: Toronto, Canada — $486 round-trip on average.
- Biggest price drop: Cusco, Peru — airfares is 20% lower than last year.
- Biggest Hacker Fare savings: Simpson Bay, St. Maarten and Washington D.C. — 30% and 29% cheaper than round-trip
- Top trending destinations: Québec City, Canada and Punta Gorda, FL — 73% and 44% more flights searches than last year
When to book: Prices are up. Should you wait?
The age-old question. But we have some good news, with a caveat. Holiday airfare is higher, but prices all year have followed similar patterns to 2025. That makes last year a useful guide, not a crystal ball. Take a look at how prices are trending compared to last year for the major winter travel holidays.
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas and New Year’s
For Thanksgiving, domestic fares have historically dropped from September highs, with the lowest prices appearing about five weeks before the holiday (or in other words the week of October 19 this year). Waiting until the final two weeks can get expensive fast. Last year, fares rose as much as 16% the week before Thanksgiving and 21% during Thanksgiving week.
Set a KAYAK Price Alert and let us tell you when fares drop. Your refresh button has done enough.
When to travel: Let the calendar do some of the saving.
The day you fly matters. With domestic fares elevated, moving your departure by a few days could be one of the easiest ways to lower the cost of your trip.
- Thanksgiving
- Christmas and New Year’s
| Trip | Expected best value departure | Avg. airfare 2026 round-trip, economy | Savings vs. priciest date | Expected priciest departure |
| Domestic flights | Nov. 23 | $420 | 18% | Nov. 20 |
| International flights | Nov. 25 | $639 | 37% | Nov. 20 |
Turkey Day takes the savings crown. If you’re willing to fly on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26 is expected to be the quietest travel day. Fares could be up to 19% lower domestically and 49% lower internationally than on Nov. 20, the priciest day to take off.
| Trip | Expected best value departure | Avg. airfare 2026 round-trip, economy | Savings vs. priciest date | Expected priciest departure |
| Domestic flights | Dec. 21 and 22 | $469 and $466 | 18% | Dec. 19 |
| International flights | Dec. 23 and 24 | $1,063 and $1,024 | 31-34% | Dec. 18 |
Christmas at home, New Year’s away? Your wallet may approve. A domestic departure on Jan. 2 could save up to 45% compared with Dec. 27, the priciest post-Christmas departure date. Flying internationally on Dec. 31 could save up to 40% compared with peak fares on Dec. 26.
Where to go.
You’ve cracked the when. Now for the where. Here are the destinations offering some of the best value this holiday season, plus the places where flight prices have dropped most since last year.
The lowest priced holiday fares.
A holiday deal may be closer than you think. Some of the lowest domestic fares lead to Florida and the Carolinas, while big-city favorites like Atlanta and Chicago also offer solid value. Internationally, Canada and Mexico take eight of the 10 lowest-priced spots, with The Bahamas and Colombia rounding out the list.
- Domestic
- International
Bucket list fares are dropping.
That far-flung trip sitting on your wish list might be closer than it looks this holiday season. In fact, some of the biggest declines in KAYAK’s data are on long-haul routes, with average fares to destinations across Latin America, Asia and the Caribbean coming in lower than last year.
One more way to save: Break up with the round-trip.
Before you book, question the traditional round-trip. KAYAK Hacker Fares combine two one-way tickets, sometimes on different airlines. For the routes in this holiday data, that combination could save up to 30% internationally and 29% domestically compared with a round-trip ticket.
- Domestic
- International
Trending holiday destinations.
- Domestic
- International
Holiday travel 2026 frequently asked questions.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. For Thanksgiving, domestic fares have historically dropped from September highs, with the lowest prices appearing about five weeks before the holiday. This year KAYAK tracks fares week by week leading up to the holidays for travellers to take a look at how prices are trending compared to last year for the major winter travel holidays.
Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, is expected to be one of the cheapest and quietest days to fly. Travelers could save up to 19% domestically and 49% internationally compared with the most expensive departure date.
Before Christmas, Dec. 21 and 22 offer strong value for domestic trips, while Dec. 23 and 24 stand out internationally. After Christmas, Jan. 2 offers the best value domestically and Dec. 31 internationally.
It can be. Thanksgiving Day itself is expected to be one of the cheapest and quietest days to fly, with savings of up to 19% domestically and 49% internationally compared with the priciest departure date. For Christmas, the best-value dates fall just before the holiday, with December 21–22 for domestic trips and December 23–24 internationally offering lower prices than peak travel days.
Some of the biggest drops are on long-haul routes. Cusco leads internationally at 20% lower year over year, followed by Cebu City at 18%, Angeles City at 17% and Phuket City at 16%.
It depends on the route. Combining two one-way tickets through KAYAK Hacker Fares could save up to 30% internationally and 29% domestically compared with a traditional round-trip.
Punta Gorda has the lowest domestic average airfare at $307 round-trip. Toronto is the lowest-priced international option at $486 round-trip.
Québec City has the biggest increase in international flight searches from the US, up 73% year over year. Punta Gorda leads domestically at 44%. Florida claims five of the destinations in the domestic trending data supplied for this report.
Methodology
Unless otherwise noted, holiday travel data is based on flight and hotel searches made on KAYAK between 4.1.2026 and 9.1.2026 for travel between 11.20.2026 and 1.6.2027, compared to searches made between 4.1.2025 and 9.1.2025 for travel between 11.21.2025 and 1.7.2026. All flight prices are average prices for round-trip, economy tickets. All hotel prices are average nightly rates. Prices may vary and savings cannot be guaranteed. Percentages for changes in pricing are approximate.
Thanksgiving data is based on flight and hotel searches made on KAYAK between 4.1.2026 and 9.1.2026 for travel between 11.20.2026 and 11.29.2026 from any US airport, compared to searches made between 4.1.2025 and 9.1.2025 for travel between 11.21.2025 and 11.30.2025.
Christmas data is based on flight and hotel searches made on KAYAK between 4.1.2026 and 9.1.2026 for departures/stays between 12.17.2026 and 1.6.2027 from any US airport, compared to searches made between 4.1.2025 and 9.1.2025 for the travel period between 12.18.2025 and 1.7.2026.
Based on flight searches made on KAYAK.com in the period between 8.1.2026 and 9.27.2026 for flights with travel periods between 11.20.2026 and 11.26.2026 for Thanksgiving and 12.17.2026 to 1.2.2027 for Christmas and New Year’s from any US airport. They were compared to searches made in the period between 8.1.2025 and 11.26.2025 with the travel period between 11.21.2025 and 11.27.2025 and between 12.18.2025 to 1.3.2026.
All prices are average prices for economy, return tickets. Prices are shown as the number of weeks between search date and travel date (calculated in 7 day intervals). Prices may vary and savings cannot be guaranteed.
