Nearly 1 in 4 Americans (23%) prefer to go on vacation during the winter rather than summer, according to a new travel survey. The main reason? There are less tourists traveling during the winter months.
Jetcost, a flight comparison site, asked 4,100 Americans to highlight general traveling habits, including when they like to travel for vacation.
According to the survey, one quarter of Americans prefer to go away during the winter rather than summer. When the respondents were asked to elaborate on why they chose winter, the top three answers included “there are less tourists” (27%), followed by “to get away from cold weather at home” (22%) and “lower costs” (18%).
Traveling over the winter months (typically low season in popular destinations) sees less people traveling. In fact, the biggest difference between peak and off-peak travel seasons is the amount of people that surround you, according to Insider, which notes that Coney Island, a popular attraction in New York, receives around 6 million visitors in the summer and “doesn’t see many tourists at all” when it’s cold out. This can be an advantage to those who want to avoid crowds.
Another reason Americans book over winter? They were too slow to put in their vacation days.
Nearly 34% of respondents stated they are often unable to book vacations off work in the summer because their colleagues already have done so, according to the survey, which forces them to take PTO other times of the year.
While U.S. respondents are looking to plan winter vacations to save money in warm places with little tourists, the majority will not be looking to travel overseas. 56% of Americans surveyed prefer to vacation in the USA rather than go abroad.