A 6-month travel forecast from Hopper notes everything travelers should consider ahead of the ever-hectic, end-of-year holiday season.

The report claims airfare will peak in the second week of December. Hopper says prices will be at their lowest in September, but will start increasing in October. The prediction added that “overall, prices will remain just below 2023 levels for the remainder of the year.” Also, pricier airfare from the holiday season is expected to drop in February.

Gas prices are reportedly 10% down from August 2023. Those planning on renting a car should note that 4-day rental prices average $44, which is 2% down from last year.

Other Travel Trends Leading Up To The Holidays

Hopper claims 61% of Americans plan to stay at a hotel during a trip within the next 6 months. That said, hotel nightly rates average $161, or about $30 more than they did at the end of summer 2019 ($131). The top domestic locations people will flock to are anticipated to be New York City, Las Vegas, and Miami. Abroad, popular hotel destinations for tourists might include London, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, and Paris.

A lot of the trending domestic destinations for this fall might surprise you. After Long Beach (California), the top five include Springfield (Missouri), Spokane (Washington), Valparaiso (Florida), and Bangor (Maine). Travelers could be hoping to bask in the great outdoors, as Hopper notes the top ten trending domestic destinations “lean heavily towards areas with national parks and rich offerings of outdoor activities.”

Shanghai, China, was No. 1 on the list of international trending destinations. Three other places in Asia made the top ten list – Osaka (Japan), Bangkok (Thailand), and Taipei (Taiwan). The six other destinations on the list were sprinkled across Europe. Nice (France), Munich (Germany), Zurich (Switzerland), Vienna (Austria), Venice (Italy), and Madrid (Spain) all made the cut.