Top line
Americans are looking to immerse themselves in nature this July 4 and are capitalizing on travel prices that are 17% cheaper than they were during last year's holiday, according to data from travel booking site Priceline. and a destination's rise in popularity could be thanks to her shout-out to Taylor Swift's latest album.
A young boy walks on rocks overlooking Emerald Bay near South Lake Tahoe, California.
Highlights
Airfare to international and domestic destinations is cheaper this July 4 weekend than the same time last year, according to Priceline data, with an average round-trip domestic flight at $308 and an international trip for the weekend averages $639.
For some international destinations, such as Toronto, San Jose, Costa Rica and Nassau, Bahamas, round-trip tickets cost less than $450.
Most of this year's trending destinations center around places known for their connection to nature, like South Lake Tahoe, California, Denver, and Salt Lake City, all of which have seen rental car searches in the area increase by 40%.
Rental car searches are up in general, according to Priceline, with search increases of more than 50% in San Diego, Phoenix, Chicago, Denver and Memphis, Tennessee.
Surprising fact
Destin, Florida, which Priceline says was praised in a song from Taylor Swift's latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” saw a 21 percent increase last month in July 4 hotel searches. Other cities in the state, including Tampa, Orlando and Miami, are all considered trending vacation destinations by Priceline.
Crucial quote
“You didn't know/Your house is really just a town that you're just a guest in/So you work your whole life/Just to pay for a timeshare in Destin,” Swift sings in the song “Florida !! ! “
Key context
July is a historically busy time for Americans when it comes to travel. On a list of Highest TSA Volume travel days of all time, four of the ten dates were in July, the most of any month, but July 4 wasn't necessarily the driver. Only one of the four July dates was close to the holiday itself: 2.79 million people traveled by air on July 7, 2019, making it TSA's seventh busiest travel day. Other busy July dates were when 2.81 million people traveled on July 30, 2023 (No. 4), 2.8 million traveled on July 23, 2023 (No. 5) and 2.78 million spent the TSA checks on July 28, 2023 (No. 5). 9). Last year, Projected AAA More than 50.7 million Americans would travel 50 miles or more from home for the Fourth of July weekend, a new record for the holiday. Of these, only 4.17 million are expected to travel by air. In total, 43.2 million people are expected to travel to their destination by car and the remaining 3.36 million would use other modes of transportation, such as cruises, buses or trains. AAA has not yet released its travel forecast for the July 4, 2024 holiday.
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