The Holidays Are Already Here

A curated collection of can’t-miss news from this week, including 2021 holiday travel trends and more. Sign up to get the TURNER Weekly Download in your inbox.

The Holidays Are Already Here

Well, not really. But it may be time to start making your holiday travel plans — before it’s too late. According to new data, people are booking holiday travel earlier than ever. “As soon as … people got vaccinated — boom! — they were booking their year-end activities,” Tim White, founder of travel website  Milepro.com, told CNBC. In recent weeks, there’s been a huge spike in holiday reservations at Hilton, Marriott, and other major hotel chains.

Portrait of American Travelers

We know that people are planning to travel for the holidays in 2021. But vaccinated and unvaccinated people are traveling differently, according to a new study. “Considerably more vaccinated travelers are planning stays at hotels/resorts, and plan to visit friends and family, travel by personal car, fly domestically and take an international trip over the next six months than their unvaccinated counterparts,” writes TravelPulse’s Laurie Baratti. “Those who don’t plan to get the jab were found to be slightly more likely to travel for the purpose of attending a conference or convention (10 percent) than the immunized travelers (six percent).

Honeymoon Dreams

Weddings weren’t the only thing postponed by the pandemic. Honeymoons were, too! But now, the dream honeymoon is making a big comeback. The New York Times has the details: “More than 70 percent of couples who married last year went on or are planning to go on a post-wedding getaway, a figure that is up almost 20 percent from 2020 and back to prepandemic levels, according to a recent report from WeddingWire.”

The End of Business Travel?

Something that may not be making a comeback —  business travel. “Business travel is in many ways the lifeblood of the travel industry,” writes CNET’s Brian Cooley. “Even if you only travel for leisure, the highly profitable business traveler affects every seat in the plane and every room in the hotel. But that traveler is dialing back, perhaps permanently. Now what?”

Weekly Moment of Zen

Met Gala 2021 Red Carpet: See Every Celebrity Look, Outfit and Dress Here.