Upgraded Points recently surveyed more than 2,300 U.S. adults about their travel plans between Thanksgiving and New Year’s 2025. The findings reveal how cost, work commitments, and family expectations are changing where, when, and how people travel for the holidays.
“Holiday travel is always a struggle between logistics and emotion,” said Keri Stooksbury, editor-in-chief at Upgraded Points. “With such long distances to cover, travelers are currently juggling budgets and schedules while also trying to preserve traditions that matter. Our latest insights can help people plan smarter—from choosing the best travel days to deciding whether to drive, fly, or stay home—so that the season feels less frantic and more festive.”
The online survey was conducted in September 2025 of 2,370 U.S. adults, balanced by state and gender, to measure typical holiday travel behaviors and plans for the 2025 season. Respondents were asked about trip distance, mode, budget, and the financial or personal factors shaping their choices. State-level shares were calculated from localized responses, and all percentages were rounded to the nearest tenth.
Who’s Traveling, Who’s Staying Home
Home for the holidays remains the norm: 56 percent of Americans usually celebrate at home, 34 percent go to someone else’s place, and just 9 percent head to a vacation spot. Travel patterns shift by holiday: Thanksgiving skews short (28 percent travel 50+ miles), while Christmas draws people farther (34 percent travel 50+ miles and 1 in 10 go 500+ miles).
State residents most likely to travel:
- 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)
State residents most likely to stay home:
- Nevada: 72.7 percent
- Utah: 71.2 percent
- Hawaii: 68.1 percent
- Missouri: 66 percent (tie)
- Oklahoma: 66 percent (tie)
- Michigan: 65.3 percent
- Idaho: 64 percent
- Pennsylvania: 63.6 percent
- Kansas: 63.5 percent
- Indiana: 63.3 percent
Some travelers are avoiding the airport this season: 74 percent will not fly at all, 26 percent will fly at least once, and 14 percent are choosing long drives specifically to avoid airport stress. Budgets are pinching plans too: 21 percent are skipping travel because of cost, roughly 20 percent are trimming gifts to afford trips, and about three in 10 expect to spend $1,000 or more on holiday travel. While family and time off split the percentages: 44 percent feel obligated to travel, 42 percent would rather take a vacation than visit family, and 12 percent say work is keeping them home.
Long-haul Travel
Colorado tops the list for long-distance holiday travel, with 24.5 percent of residents planning to travel 500 miles or more, and approximately 20 percent expecting to spend 10 hours or more en route—the highest shares in the country. Below are some of the states with the largest shares of residents taking epic holiday trips.
Top five states for long-distance holiday travel:
- Colorado: 24.5 percent travel 500+ miles
- Arizona: 20.8 percent
- Missouri: 19.2 percent
- Massachusetts: 18.0 percent
- New Mexico: 17.0 percent
For the complete list of top states, check out detailed survey results by visiting the full study online.
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