Two out of three Americans plan to travel this upcoming winter, 4 percent more compared to last year, according to WalletHub's 2019 Winter Travel Survey.
A majority of travelers (79 percent) plan to spend at least as much on travel this winter as they did one year ago, with nearly one-third of Americans (30 percent) indicating that they plan to spend more in 2019 compared to 2018.
For those planning to stay put this winter, most say it's because they can't afford it (33 million) while many others simply don't feel like it (24 million) or need to save money (20 million). As many as nine million say their biggest motivation is saving their vacation days.
When it comes to traveling during the winter, weather tops the list of Americans' concerns, with 44 percent indicating that Mother Nature is their biggest fear. More than one-third (38 percent) cite cost as their leading concern while 7 percent of travelers fear the challenge of packing appropriately. Another 7 percent are most concerned about the prospect of spending time with in-laws and relatives. Only 4 percent said the threat of terrorism was the biggest deterrent to winter travel in 2019.
The study also found that 36 million people plan to apply for a new credit card to save on winter travel costs this year, with younger travelers leading the way. Nearly six times as many millennials plan to apply for a credit card this winter compared to baby boomers.
Two in five people plan to put their rewards to work to help with holiday spending, with 43 percent likely to put them towards travel and 41 percent more likely to opt for cash back.
"The results of WalletHub's Winter Travel Survey show reason for economic optimism in the sense that slightly more people are planning to travel this year than last year, and 79 percent of winter travelers say they're going to spend at least as much as they did last year," said WalletHub CEO Odysseas Papadimitriou in a statement accompanying the study. "When people are feeling strain financially, you generally don't see travel increase."
For those planning to get away this winter, the good news is that there are plenty of excellent family-friendly destinations to choose from, including some awesome places right in their own backyard.
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