Survey: 45 percent of Americans will travel Thanksgiving-March

NEW YORK | Forty-five percent of U.S. consumers will take a vacation or leisure trip between Thanksgiving and March that involves paying for overnight accommodations, according to a new survey released Monday by Deloitte LLP.

Eighteen percent of those surveyed said they would take a trip during Thanksgiving week and weekend. Twenty-two percent said they would travel at some point during December through New Year's Day, and 32 percent said they would travel overnight and stay at a lodging facility after New Year's Day through March, the Deloitte survey found.

But larger numbers said they would travel less and spend less compared to a year ago than those reporting increases in travel and spending. Thirty-five percent say they will spend less this year on leisure travel, while 37 percent expect to spend the same amount and 27 percent plan to spend more. Those spending less tend to be younger, with lower incomes and children in the household, than those spending the same or more than last year, according to Deloitte.

Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed also said they would take fewer trips this year than last during the Thanksgiving-March period, while 25 percent said they would take more trips and 45 percent said they would take the same number.

The survey was commissioned by Deloitte and conducted via telephone interviews by Opinion Research Corporation between Oct. 22 and Nov. 2. The survey polled a sample of 2,000 consumers and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.

The survey also found large numbers of travelers accessing information digitally. Forty-one percent of those with travel plans said they use mobile devices for tasks like making reservations or getting travel information. Twenty-six percent say they have visited a travel-related company's social media fan page. And 57 percent of those with travel plans say they often read consumer-written reviews or comments online related to travel.

Among those planning to travel during the holiday and winter season, 74 percent will visit relatives or friends, 16 percent will visit a foreign country, 38 percent will spend at least one vacation doing warm-weather activities like swimming or golf, and 18 percent will take a ski vacation or do other cold-weather activities, according to the Deloitte survey.

Thirty-four percent of those with travel plans are heading for historic sites or national parks, while 22 percent plan to visit entertainment parks or facilities, and 8 percent plan to make volunteer activities part of their vacation plans, the survey showed.

Only 40 percent of travelers say they currently belong to at least one rewards or customer loyalty program from a hotel or other lodging facility. Adam Weissenberg, U.S. Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure leader at Deloitte LLP, said the 6 in 10 travelers who have not signed up for loyalty programs represent an opportunity for hotel companies to "build new relationships with these travelers through programs that create long-term brand loyalty and drive repeat business."

Weissenberg said he believes the survey results suggest that "conditions appear to be stabilizing in the travel industry as signs of an economic recovery take hold."

Arch Woodside, professor of marketing at Boston College who specializes in tourism, pointed out that the U.S. lodging industry has been able to generate a "positive cash flow with lower profits" despite the recession by "reducing prices in response to soft demand." But he said the weak economy is disproportionately affecting the travel habits of average-income households, with those travelers making fewer trips than higher-income Americans. The economy is also changing when and how often average-income Americans travel.

CruiseCompete offers advice on baby-friendly cruises

DETROIT | If you're thinking of taking a cruise with young children, you'll want to be sure the ship has age-appropriate programs and child-care facilities.

CruiseCompete.com is offering guidelines specific to each cruise line that can help you make the right decision at http://tinyurl.com/yg9p43z.

Most cruise lines have a minimum age for children to sail, according to CruiseCompete, with ages ranging from 3 months on Disney ships to 12 years on Viking River Cruises.

Some cruise lines, like Oceania, Silversea and Seabourn, allow children onboard but are designed primarily for adults or mature travelers and do not offer child care or programs for kids, CruiseCompete says.

At the other extreme, Disney Cruise Line offers extensive activities for all age groups, including one of the best programs for infant care, CruiseCompete says, with nurseries that accept babies as young as 12 weeks. Parents should expect to carry a pager, as attendants do not change diapers.

Many other lines also offer some baby-sitting services, sometimes for a fee and sometimes for free, depending on the line and the age of the child.

A number of cruise lines also provide free play spaces for younger children and areas where teenagers can hang out with their peers, along with games, sports and other structured activities.

Carnival Cruise Lines has a youth program called Camp Carnival, designed for 2-11 year olds. Children younger than 2 can also play with the toys during designated family play times, though parents must be present, and some baby-sitting services are offered for children under 2 as well.

Cunard's Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 have nurseries and children's centers with toys, games and activities where children age 1 or older can participate without their parents. Both ships also offer family pool areas.

Norwegian offers youth programs and group baby-sitting for children ages 2-12, including a FreeStyle Play period where all age groups play together and a Kid's Crew program.

Royal Caribbean has activities for a variety of age groups and recently won an award from another Web site, CruiseCritic.com, as the best cruise line for families. CruiseCompete notes that Royal Caribbean has play groups for babies 6-18 months that parents can attend with their children, and its new ship, Oasis of the Seas, has a nursery with day and night child care options for children as young as six months old.

Priceline.com says airfares vary around holidays Thanksgiving

NORWALK, Conn. | Priceline.com says average holiday airfares for Thanksgiving and the December holiday season are getting more expensive, but airfares vary depending on exactly which day you fly.

As of early November, the average published price of a round-trip airline ticket home for Thanksgiving was $387, about 12 percent higher than a year ago, Priceline.com said. The average price of a round-trip ticket for the December holiday period was approximately $435, a 10 percent increase over a year ago.

Average fares are based on all published-price round-trip tickets booked the first week of November by Priceline.com customers for travel during the holiday periods.

"In October, when we first looked at holiday airfares, we found that they were averaging 10 percent lower than a year ago," said Priceline.com spokesman Brian Ek. "Now, with the reduced seat capacity at many major airlines and holiday ticket demand starting to peak, fares are moving up."

For the lowest fares, Priceline.com recommends that travelers try Nov. 23, 26 (Thanksgiving Day), 27 and 30. Highest fares were showing up for Nov. 20, 25 and 29.

For the December holidays, Priceline found the lowest fares on Dec. 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, 31 and Jan. 5, with highest fares on Dec. 17, 18, 19 and Jan. 2, 3 and 4.

To see the best travel days and sample airfares for specific itineraries, check out Priceline.com's customized Best Days To Fly Calendar at http://www.priceline.com/flights.

Other advice from Priceline: Pick times of the day that are normally less busy, like early morning, 5 a.m.-7 a.m., or after 8 p.m. Peak business travel hours are generally the most expensive, 8 a.m.-10 a.m. and 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

End the decade in Times Square on New Year's Eve

NEW YORK | Say goodbye to 2010 in Times Square when the famous ball drops at midnight on New Year's Eve.

The ball that descends the flagpole atop One Times Square is a 12-foot geodesic sphere weighing 11,875 pounds, covered in 2,668 crystals and powered by 32,256 LED lights that create millions of colors and patterns in a kaleidoscopic effect. The ball is lit and raised at around 6 p.m. on New Year's Eve, then dropped at midnight after a countdown by the crowd.

Visitors can also offer their wishes for the new year at the Times Square Information Center on Broadway between 46th and 47th streets. The wishes will be written on pieces of paper, displayed on a Confetti Wishing Wall at the information center, and then included in the shower of confetti that rains down on New Year's Eve. Specific dates for the Confetti Wishing Wall will be posted at http://www.timessquarenyc.org.

And if you can't wait to leave 2009 behind, the Times Square Alliance and Countdown Entertainment are also planning a Good Riddance Day in Duffy Square (45th-47th streets, between Broadway and Seventh Avenue) where you can write down those bad memories and shred them. The date will be posted at http://www.timessquarenyc.org.

FYI: http://www.nycgo.com.