Holiday Travelers are Booking Earlier This Year By Our Town Gwinnett Staff Although the summer travel season just ended, Georgians are already beginning to lock in their holiday travel plans. In fact, according to a new AAA survey, 69% of residents are already planning to take a holiday vacation. More than half of them (55%) booked holiday plans earlier this year due to higher travel prices. Three-fifths of holiday travelers (61%) say they plan at least one flight during the holiday season. “Whether you plan to book a flight, cruise, or visit a theme park, it’s best to get ahead of the holiday rush and finalize your plans now,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “This will help ensure you get the itinerary you want at a competitive price. While it’s possible that those who wait until the last minute could catch a lower rate, their preferred options may already be gone.” Thanksgiving Travel Two-thirds of Georgia travelers (66%) are planning a trip with at least one overnight stay for Thanksgiving. The busiest travel days will be Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday. Consider booking a flight on Sunday or Monday before Thanksgiving and Saturday after the holiday. Airports should be less busy, and flights should have more availability. Christmas Travel The timing is spread out for Georgians planning a Christmas trip. Only
10% have already finalized plans, as a fifth waited until September (20%), with more waiting until October (38%) and November (19%) to book. Regardless of what date Christmas falls on, most travelers depart two to four days before the holiday. Since Christmas Day falls on a Monday this year, travelers should expect the busiest days at the airport to be Friday and Saturday before the holiday. AAA’s Advice for Booking a Flight • Book early for the best combination of availability and price. Most travelers want to skip layovers and get right to their destination. That means nonstop flights will fill up fast, especially those going cross-country and internationally. • Book a direct flight that leaves early in the morning. Afternoon and evening flights are more susceptible to delays/cancellations due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances. Connecting flights multiplies the risk of something going wrong. • Consider traveling a day or two earlier than planned. Even if you face delays, you are still likely to arrive on time. • If your flight has connections, build between flights in a couple of hours. This way, if your first flight is delayed, you are less likely to miss your second one. Flight Concerns One-third of Georgians (34%) say they are less likely to fly this year because they’re concerned about flight delays and cancellations. AAA urges travelers to consider travel insurance, which provides financial compensation if your flight is affected by covered reasons like severe winter weather, which can ruin your plans. “Given recent challenges with air travel, we are seeing more and more passengers opt for travel insurance,” Haas said. “Travel Insurance is such a valuable resource for air travelers because it provides financial benefits for lost or delayed luggage, flight cancellations, and flight delays of as little as three hours.” More People are Gifting Experiences Instead of Presents AAA travel advisors say they’re seeing more people gift travel experiences to loved ones instead of presents. That means those people are Continued on page 19
We invite you to honor and remember your loved one. Even if Wages & Sons did not serve your family.
DEC. 3RD 3:00pm
Gwinnett Chapel 1031 Lawrenceville Hwy Lawrenceville, GA
RSVP by Nov. 26 to receive a FREE Remembrance Snowflake personalized with your loved one’s name. Scan with your smartphone camera
SEATING IS LIMITED. RSVP and submit your loved one to be honored and remembered in our video tribute presentation at WagesandSons.com/Candlelight
The event will include live musical performances, a video tribute presentation and a touching candle lighting ceremony for all to participate in.
Owned by The Wages Family
Honoring Life. No Regrets.
October 2023 Our Town Gwinnett
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