Neither am I, but it’s happening — the Fourth of July surge.
Americans are gearing up for a record-breaking travel season, according to new data from travel platform Hopper. The upcoming holiday weekend is set to witness a significant uptick in air travel, despite a varied pricing environment across different sectors of the travel industry. The Fourth of July surge in travel is coming.
Here are a few key travel stats:
Air travel
- There will be 24 million air departures from U.S. airports.
- That’s a 7 percent increase from 2023, equating to 1.6 million more potential passengers.
- Domestic airfares will average $263 per ticket, down 18 percent year-over-year.
- Airfare to Europe will average over $900, a 37 percent decrease from 2023.
Accommodations
Hotel rates will average $232 per night.- Vacation rentals will average $400 per night.
Hotel rates will average $232 per night.Car Rentals
- National average rate of $48 a day, unchanged from last year.
- Most travelers are booking five-day rentals.
Popular destinations for the Independence Day
This holiday travel includes New York City ($282 average round-trip), Seattle ($339), and Los Angeles ($283); internationally, the top three are London ($906), Tokyo ($1,454), and Paris ($884).
Also: The busiest travel days are projected to be July 3 for departures, with 3.5 million seats scheduled, and July 7 and 8 for returns, each day seeing over 3.7 million seats booked.
The takeaway: Hopper says you can still get flight deals to destinations like Charleston and Denver, where fares under $100 are still available. It also recommends staycations or exploring last-minute hotel deals in major cities, where prices often drop closer to check-in dates.
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Christopher Elliott is an author, consumer advocate, and journalist. He founded Elliott Advocacy, a nonprofit organization that helps solve consumer problems. He publishes Elliott Confidential, a travel newsletter, and the Elliott Report, a news site about customer service. If you need help with a consumer problem, you can reach him here or email him at [email protected].
