The Most Popular Travel Destinations for the 2021 Holiday Season

By Madison Owens Leave a Comment

It’s the holiday season, which means people are out and about, with many traveling out of town over the next couple weeks.

Airport Crowds

While travel is a bit different from last year’s holiday season, there are still things you should be aware of, like the current list of travel restrictions in the U.S., travel advisories due to the Omicron variant of COVID-19, and travel mask mandates. These are especially important for those traveling to popular destinations, and we just found out what the most popular travel destinations are for this holiday season.

The top travel destinations for the 2021 holiday season are Orlando, Florida and Anaheim, California, according to Fox59. These cities are where Disney World and Disneyland are located, respectively.

Disney World is very festive for the holidays!

Other top destinations include: Las Vegas, New York City, Maui, Honolulu, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Phoenix, and San Diego.

Times Square Disney Store

According to AAA, 109 million Americans are estimated to travel between Christmas and New Year’s Day this year. That’s up 34% from last year.

Hollywood Studios crowds

Last year around the holidays, many of these destinations had various safety measures put into place due to the global pandemic. This remains true in some areas, like in California, where an indoor mask mandate was just issued through January 15th, 2022. Disney World and Disneyland also have indoor mask requirements.

Mask Signage

And, it makes sense that Disney World and Disneyland will be busy for the holidays, as park pass reservations are nearly all booked up. In Disney World, there are several days that no longer have any parks available, and the rest only have select parks available for the remainder of the year.

©Disney

In Disneyland, one park per day tickets are no longer available for the remainder of the year, except for today (December 20th)…

©Disney

…and for park hopper tickets, only the 23rd, 24th, and 30th have any availability left.

©Disney

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does still recommend wearing a mask, washing your hands frequently, and avoiding large gatherings if you are in public or traveling this holiday season, according to Fox59. Also be aware that mask mandates do remain in effect on transportation like airplanes. Stay tuned to DFB for more travel news and updates as they relate to Disney.