LISTEN: Most Florida Travelers Have Holidays Booked Before October

TAMPA -- The summer travel season just ended a few days ago with Labor Day. But a new survey finds many Floridians are already starting to make travel plans for the holidays from Thanksgiving through New Year's.

AAA Auto Club Group finds more than a third of Floridians with travel plans (36%) typically begin booking trips before September. Another quarter (25%) begin to make bookings in September, then 24% in October. Only 15 percent of Florida travelers wait until November and December to book. Breaking it down by holiday, 30 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and 24 percent of Christmas travelers booked before September. AAA conducted its ConsumerPulse survey of 400 Floridians during mid-July.

Spokesman Mark Jenkins says waiting to grab a last-minute booking may save a dollar, but could result in less convenient flights and/or hotels. Jenkins says the numbers show a high demand for holiday travel this year.

Jenkins says the busiest travel days for Thanksgiving are the two days before and the Sunday after. He suggests booking a flight that leaves on the Sunday or Monday before Thanksgiving and returns on the Saturday after the holiday.

Nearly two-thirds of Florida residents, 65 percent, plan to take an overnight trip between Thanksgiving and New Year's according to AAA.

Hear more from Mark Jenkins by listening to our Beyond the News podcast below.

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