The Holidays are one of the best times of the year for most U.S. citizens—lots of people, including myself, like to travel for the holidays. I feel like it’s nice to be in a place where you can get out and do things during the holidays. I have always traveled to Florida for the holidays but mostly for Christmas. Propstreams ranked the top 9 cities based on travel plans between December 1, 2023, and February 29, 2024, Tripadvisor compiled a list of this year’s top 9-holiday travel destinations in the U.S. which I consider a valid source of information, the rankings were….

#1 New York City, New York

#2 Orlando, Florida

#3 Las Vegas, Nevada

#4 Key West, Florida

#5 Honolulu, Hawaii

#6 Fort Lauderdale, Florida

#7 Miami Beach, Florida

#8 New Orleans, Louisiana

#9 Anaheim, California

I partly agree with these rankings and will be focusing on the top 3. But based on how popular Florida and Hawaii can be during these times consider it to be a properly rated place to go during the holidays. Based on what I see, Florida and Hawaii share some things in common like beautiful beaches, great shopping, and great nightlife But Florida has something Hawaii doesn’t. The home of the most famous parks in the world, like Disneyworld and Universal Studios, are usually decorated to the max for the holiday season to attract more visitors from afar.  New York on the other hand is majorly underrated in my opinion. How could you not adore the holiday spirit that New York City embodies every year? From the festive decorations, dazzling lights, and excitement to the Iconic landmarks like Rockefeller Center’s towering Christmas tree and the ice skating rink. I’ve never been to New York but based on what I see in the news and in movies it looks like a wonderful place to visit for the holidays. Las Vegas, Nevada is also commonly visited during the holidays. Known for primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The problem is that the only difference between Las Vegas during the holidays and Las Vegas during any regular season is the little spruce up they give it with holiday decor. There isn’t necessarily anything overly special about Las Vegas at this time, but don’t get me wrong it’s a place of major popularity in the U.S. But I don’t think it should be during the holiday season, so that’s why I think Las Vegas is an overrated travel destination during this time of year. Stepping away from the popular holiday destinations for a bit, I wanted to talk about the places in the U.S. that aren’t as popular but go all out for the holidays like they were born to do so. Conde West Traveler ranks their top 5 places that go all out for the holidays based on the writers and editors’ preferences

#1 Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

#2 Denver, Colorado

#3 Asheville, North Carolina

#4 Charleston, South Carolina

#5 Las Vegas, Nevada

When talking about places in the U.S. connected to Christmas there isn’t anywhere quite like Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. This Pennsylvania Town Nicknamed the  ‘Christmas City’ Is One of the Most Charming Places to Visit for the Holidays. With a German-style market and festive lights, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, knows how to celebrate Christmas. Asheville, North Carolina also does a great job when going all out. For someone who likes going outdoors and exploring, Asheville is a perfect spot just to do that. Asheville plays host to the famous Biltmore Mansion, the mansion is decked out in lights and has a beautiful backdrop of mountains in the back with decorated trees out in front of the property. When we put these two topics together we get results for the question, how many people travel for the holidays? Well, The Vacationer had a poll for people about vacationing for the holidays and these were the results. 

Thanksgiving. — 16.78%

Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa. — 22.01%

Both. — 28.43%

Don’t travel. — 32.77%

No surprises here, but at the end of the day it’s all up to preference based on where you like to travel for the holidays and what works best for you on your schedule. Overall traveling for the holidays and going somewhere you usually don’t just make the season more lively and joyful.