KAYAK Launches Holiday Travel Hacker to Navigate the Busiest Travel Season of the Year

2015 KAYAK Holiday Travel Hacker Uncovers Holiday Travel Trends, Top 10 Holiday Escapes, Hottest New Year's Destinations, and more

STAMFORD, Conn., Oct. 29, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, KAYAK is giving the best gift of all: travel without the guesswork.  The world's leading travel search engine has expanded its popular Travel Hacker franchise and infused it with a dose of holiday spirit to launch the first-ever Holiday Travel Hacker.

Created by KAYAK's team of data specialists and travel experts, the 2015 KAYAK Holiday Travel Hacker is packed with helpful insights and tips ("hacks") that breakdown the holiday travel season.  The Holiday Travel Hacker features two seasonal lists: Top 10 Holiday Escapes and Top 10 Trending New Year's Eve Destinations, along with travel tips and median airfare for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.

"Don't worry about the when or where to travel this holiday season – we crunched the numbers and figured it out for you," said David Solomito, North America Brand Director for KAYAK.  "Our data uncovered fantastic holiday deals in cities around the globe, as well as up-and-coming hot spots to ring in the New Year.  We paired each destination with top hotels and offered ideas on what to do once you're there.  If you're unsure of how or where to spend your holidays, KAYAK has the solution."

Highlights from the 2015 KAYAK Holiday Travel Hacker follow below.

Top 10 Holiday Escapes

KAYAK's data uncovered the top 10 destinations seeing the biggest decrease in airfare this holiday season vs. last – giving travelers unique options for a holiday escape. Hong Kong claims the top spot with a 29 percent decrease in price compared to last holiday season. While some of these destinations are far from "cheap," savvy travelers may look to take advantage of the declining airfare to these cities.

1. Hong Kong, Hong Kong  
2. Taipei, Taiwan 
3. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
4. Chicago, IL 
5. Tokyo, Japan 
6. Bangkok, Thailand 
7. Manila, Philippines 
8. Belize City, Belize 
9. Cleveland, OH 
10. Bogota, Colombia

To see the median airfare by month, top deal hotels, and a "hacker tip" for each destination, visit the Top 10 Holiday Escapes guide.

Top 10 Trending New Year's Eve Destinations

These cities saw the greatest increase in New Year's flight searches, making them the hottest spots to ring in 2016.  The list has something for everyone from top-ranking destination Dubai – which topped the chart with a 70 percent increase in flight searches compared to last year – to domestic cities that are just a short flight away. This list shows where those in the know are headed for New Year's Eve.

1. Dubai, UAE 
2. Cartagena, Colombia 
3. Barcelona, Spain 
4. Reykjavik, Iceland 
5. Tokyo, Japan 
6. Atlanta, GA 
7. Santiago, Chile 
8. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 
9. Chicago, IL 
10. Vancouver, Canada

Dive into the full list to see median airfare by month, the top five trending hotels per destination, and a "hacker tip" for each city.

Travel Tips

KAYAK also looked at data for the travel periods of Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve and provided median airfare by region, along with a starting point for booking travel based on historical data.*  While it's generally advised to book as soon as possible during the busy holiday travel season, the Holiday Travel Hacker provides a recommendation on at least how far in advance consumers should book for each holiday travel period across all regions.  For instance, data shows that when booking travel in North America, consumers should book at least two weeks in advance for Thanksgiving; at least 1 – 3 weeks in advance for Christmas; and at least 2 – 4 weeks in advance for New Year's Eve.

KAYAK offers several features to help take the stress out of travel, making it the must-have travel tool this holiday season. Price Forecast helps travelers book with confidence by recommending if they should book their flight now or wait, while Price Alerts sends users notifications when prices change for the flight or hotel they want.  Trips, KAYAK's free itinerary management tool, organizes and manages upcoming travel, provides free flight alerts, and allows travelers to easily share plans with friends and family.

Visit KAYAK to plan and manage your next trip and visit the 2015 KAYAK Holiday Travel Hacker for more details and methodology. The full guide can be found at www.KAYAK.com/holidaytravelhacker .

ABOUT KAYAK
KAYAK is the world's leading travel search engine and is available in more than 30 countries. The company's websites and mobile apps allow people to easily search hundreds of travel sites at once for flights, hotels, rental cars and vacation packages.

*Recommendations based on when KAYAK saw the lowest airfare during last year's holiday season and are meant to be a guide.  Consumers should buy tickets when they find a price that works for them.

SOURCE KAYAK

Jackie Miller, [email protected], 212.373.6056, https://www.kayak.com