It was a few days before Christmas, and instead of shopping for some last-minute gifts or getting ready for the First Night 5K, Dave and Elise Aungst were hitting the road. Along with their four teen and young adult children, the couple was driving from central Pennsylvania to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, to meet up with Elise’s parents and siblings for a big family Christmas.
“Since my family is spread all over the country, my parents graciously rent a beautiful chalet in the Smoky Mountains,” Elise Aungst says. “It is so relaxing and tranquil and always nice to get away and be with family—especially when you don’t see them year-round.”
Elise’s parents, Gary and Sharon Clark, live near Nashville, and their adult children have scattered as life has taken them across the country. So, every other year, the Clarks rent a chalet, and the extended family spends the holiday playing games, eating, watching Christmas movies, and making memories.
The Clark family is not alone. A late-2023 Deloitte survey showed that forty-eight percent of Americans intended to travel over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, up from thirty-one percent in 2022 and “continuing a pattern of increasing travel intent that was also observed in summer 2023.”
While intent to travel is up across the board, the report also shows a shift to an increase in flying, and a drop in health and cancellation worries as travelers make holiday travel plans. Another interesting finding from the survey showed that “revenge traveling” (taking a trip that wasn’t possible during the pandemic) is finally starting to wane and fifty-eight percent of holiday travelers say they are getting away to spend time with loved ones, rather than primarily seeking adventure.
With these numbers on the rise, chances are that you might be thinking about a holiday excursion at some point, but might have questions. Where are the best places to go? What are some special memory makers? How do the logistics work with gifts or other favorite traditions (read: will my brother get his favorite cranberry sauce)? For those answers, and more, we turned to some local travel experts.
First, decide where to spend your holiday
“If celebrating Christmas, Walt Disney World is a great family destination. They do a beautiful Christmas display throughout the parks and Downtown Disney,” Donna Chesney from Ketrow Kurtz Travel says. Her Duncansville-based agency is women-owned with a staff of four and has a combined experience of 125 years in the travel industry.
“Another unique place to travel for Christmas is New Zealand and Australia. They are an entire day ahead of the United States, which allows you to celebrate a day early,” she says.
Lindsay Smith is the founder and CEO of L+S Travel, which is headquartered in Spring Mills and has eight agents across the United States. She says that some of her favorite trips are European river cruises, and specifically Christmas market river cruises over the holidays. “Many of the travelers who book with L and S choose Europe over Thanksgiving, and then aim for fun and sun for Christmas with destinations like the Caribbean or Mexico,” she says.
If you decide to take a Christmas market cruise, she says the key is to book now. “In Europe, you tend to find fewer large hotels and more boutique accommodations, and there are only so many rooms available.”
Holiday logistics, solved
What about favorite traditions, like turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, or gifts for Christmas? Is it better to bring along favorite traditions, or start new ones? Smith answers the question of the gifts first. “For most people who book travel with our agency, the trip is the gift,” she says. “We love to say, ‘Give the gift of travel.’”
On one holiday trip, clients adopted an elephant and then went to visit it in an elephant sanctuary in Kenya. In another, a family wrapped Disney magic bands and put them under the tree, then took their magical vacation after Christmas.
Aungst says her family opens most of their gifts before heading to Pigeon Forge and packs a few stocking stuffers to open on Christmas day. “On Christmas morning, my dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible in Luke 2 before we open any gifts or stockings,” she says. “Then we have a big, delicious Christmas breakfast. We have always had our nicest dinner on Christmas Eve and if a guitar has been brought along, we sing Christmas carols and hymns near the fireplace.”
“All of the resorts that we recommend have special events over holidays,” Smith adds. “It’s not about having to give up turkey dinner. You can take that traditional experience and celebrate around the world.”
Christmas 2024 is an ideal time to travel
While every holiday offers some time off from work and school, this Christmas has an especially favorable schedule. “Christmas is on a Wednesday this year, so school kids have a longer break and people can take off for longer than normal,” Smith says. “This is a very unique vacation schedule—we haven’t seen it in the last five years. You can go much further into January with this schedule.
Her top pick? “Consider a cruise. It’s one of the most affordable travel options, and many people don’t consider it over the holidays. Cruise lines took a hit during the pandemic and there are still a lot of great specials as they rebound. Or do something different and go to Antarctica, or an African safari—it’s their summer! This is the year for the big trip. Take advantage of those dates.”
Local folks: book now, for this Happy Valley reason
The holidays are just around the corner, and if you would like to squeeze in a trip this year, you need to schedule it now. But if you live in Happy Valley, the timing is even more critical for one big reason … Penn State football.
“The minute that the bowl game is announced, all flight availability for both State College and Harrisburg is immediately gone,” Smith says with a laugh. “It’s game over, literally. Get your tickets before that happens!”
Travel experts’ top pieces of advice
“We highly recommend planning early because travel is at an all-time high,” Chesney says. “And holiday travel is even busier.”
“Be flexible,” Smith adds. “You are traveling over holidays, and so are millions of other people. This is the top travel time, so pack your patience. That’s my biggest piece of advice.”
Because once the destination is planned, logistics are worked out, and airports or roadways navigated, it will be a holiday you will remember for years to come. “Mainly, it’s about spending time together,” Aungst says. “No matter where you are, the best place to be is together.” T&G
Cara Aungst is a freelance business and lifestyle writer in Belleville (and sister-in-law to Dave and Elise, interviewed in this article). Her five kids have shot down all of the holiday travel ideas that she’s concocted so far, saying there’s no place like home for the holidays, so she has lived vicariously through these interviews. She can be reached at caraaungst@gmail.com.
