How many book a vacation in the United States?

Sixty million planning holiday air/hotel travel
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About 60 million U.S. adults are planning to book a vacation, according to a new report.

This figure includes 40 million Thanksgiving travelers and 51 million who will be celebrating December holidays such as Christmas, New Yearโ€™s Eve and Hanukkah (itโ€™s adjusted for overlap).

Millennials (ages 23-38) are much more likely than older adults to be preparing to hit the road. Some 35% of millennials will travel for the December holidays and 29% for Thanksgiving versus 12% and 9%, respectively, of those ages 39+.

The average December holiday air traveler will spend $1,033, and for Thanksgiving, itโ€™s $822. Among those planning to stay in hotels or short-term rentals, the average expected expense is $673 for the December holidays and $536 for Thanksgiving.

The most popular payment method for this travel is a credit card paid in full before interest accrues (50% of air travelers and 48% of hotel/short-term rental guests). Next is a debit card or cash (46% of hotel visitors and 44% of fliers โ€“ note that respondents could select multiple payment methods).

A significant number of Americans will use rewards points to offset at least some of the costs of their upcoming journeys (42% for flights and 33% for lodging). Unfortunately, a similar number plan on incurring credit card debt (39% who will be traveling by air and 36% who will be overnighting in a hotel or short-term rental).

Millennials are significantly more likely than their elders to pay with a debit card or cash (59% for hotels and 48% for flights, compared with 33% and 35% of older adults, respectively). Millennials are also the biggest rewards points users, particularly for air travel (47% will redeem miles/points, versus 31% of those who are older). Baby Boomers (ages 54-72) are considerably more likely than other generations to pay in full with a credit card.

Among all Americans using credit cards for air travel this holiday season, thereโ€™s a slight preference for cashback (50%) over travel cards (47%), with low interest coming in third (35%). For hotel/short-term rental stays, itโ€™s a tie between cashback and travel (both 45%), with low interest at 33%.

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