As Americans celebrate Independence Day on July 4th, this year, American travelers are choosing to celebrate by exploring their homeland.
TripIt analyzed US Origin flight, rental car, accommodation and vacation rental reservations made by our TripIt users for the 4th of July 2022 weekend and compared the results with the 2021 equivalent booking time.
We’ve seen that about 40% of all flight reservations on holiday weekends go to international destinations because Americans make up for lost time due to epidemic-era restrictions. We’ve also seen major metros continue to see a resurgence of tourists, although open spaces and destinations known for outdoor adventures continue to draw crowds.
The current percentage of flight reservations compared to the previous year
| Flight 2022 (All) |
Flight 2022 (Domestic) |
Flight 2022 (International) |
2022 car rental | 2022 Accommodation | 2022 vacation rental | |
| % Change from 2021 | + 115% | + 68% | + 290% | + 48% | + 42% | + 31% |
Long lines at the domestic airport
As seen increasingly during the holidays – most recently, Memorial Day Weekend 2022. Airports can expect crowds. From low staff-safety and discounts across the board to flight attendants and pilots যাত্র passengers can expect long lines and should be prepared for potential delays.
We expect the busiest airports to be:
- SFO – San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- LAX – Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- JFK – John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- ORD – Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- BOS – Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- DEN – Denver International Airport (DEN)
- DWF – Dallas / Fort Worth International Airport (DWF)
- SEA – Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
- EWR – Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- ATL – Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Those departing from these airports should be given extra time, especially if their flight is on Friday (7/1), the busiest day for departure or Tuesday (7/5), when most passengers will return. For the top five most popular airports, the busiest time to depart (and when you should be careful to give more time) will be:
The busiest airport hours based on departure reservation
| Airport | Date | Departure time (local) |
| SFO | July 1
July 5 |
8 o’clock in the morning 1 p.m.1 p.m. 8 o’clock in the morning |
| LAX | July 1
July 5 |
9 o’clock in the morning 8 o’clock in the morning 7 o’clock in the morning |
| JFK | July 1
July 5 |
5 p.m. 6 pm 6 pm |
| ORD | July 1
July 5 |
8 o’clock in the morning 9 p.m. 12 noon |
| BOS | July 1
July 5 |
5 p.m. 6 pm 11 o’clock at night |
Although flights increased by more than 2X overall, international travel continued to be the strongest return with the number of booked international flights more than 4X higher than last year, accounting for about 40% or more of all flight departures over the weekend. It is built on the trend we saw at Memorial Day 2022 when one-third of flights went abroad. In fact, London is the number one destination, followed by Paris (# 7), Cancun (# 12), Barcelona (# 18), Rome (# 21), Lisbon (# 22), and Amsterdam (# 24).
Of the remaining domestic flights, about one-third are to California (15%), Florida, and about one-third of the remaining domestic flights are to California (13%), Florida (9%), and Hawaii (7%). ), Or Washington (5%).
Flight destination rankings and rank changes
| 2022 Ranking | City, state | 2021 Ranking | Rank change (2021 to 2022) |
| 1 | London | 42 | 41 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | 4 | 2 |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 8 | 5 |
| 4 | Denver, CO | 1 | -3 |
| 5 | Las Vegas, NV | 3 | -2 |
| 6 | New York, NY | 10 | 4 |
| 7 | Paris | 43 | 36 |
| 8 | San Francisco, CA. | 11 | 3 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | 7 | -2 |
| 10 | Orlando, CA. | 2 | -8 |
| 11 | Los Angeles, CA. | 9 | -2 |
| 12 | Cancun | 5 | -7 |
| 13 | Honolulu, HI | 6 | -7 |
| 14 | Minneapolis, MN | 20 | 6 |
| 15 | San Diego, CA. | 13 | -2 |
| 16 | Kahului, H.I. | 12 | -4 |
| 17 | Newark, NJ | 24 | 7 |
| 18 | Barcelona | 120 | 102 |
| 19 | Washington DC | 31 | 12 |
| 20 | Atlanta, GA | 23 | 3 |
| 21 | Rome | 74 | 53 |
| 22 | Lisbon | 126 | 104 |
| 23 | Salt Lake City, UT | 15 | -8 |
| 24 | Amsterdam | 135 | 111 |
| 25 | Dallas | 22 | -3 |
Speed bump at the pump
Despite record high gas prices, demand for rental cars remains high. While we may not see as strong YoY growth as we have seen in the past, we do see growth in conservation. And when the big cities reign in the top 25, they make a list of the lesser-anticipated destinations, including Anchorage, (# 16), St. Paul, MN (# 17), and Santa Ana, CA (# 21).
Car rental destination ranking and rank change
| 2022 Ranking | City, state | 2021 Ranking | Rank change (2021 to 2022) |
| 1 | Denver, CO | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Honolulu, HI | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | 27 | 24 |
| 4 | Kahului, H.I. | 1 | -3 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | 5 | 0 |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | 10 | 4 |
| 7 | Orlando, FL | 4 | -3 |
| 8 | Los Angeles, CA. | 18 | 10 |
| 9 | Lihu, HI | 13 | 4 |
| 10 | San Francisco, CA. | 11 | 1 |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | 9 | -2 |
| 12 | Salt Lake City, UT | 8 | -4 |
| 13 | Kailua-Kona, HI | 14 | 1 |
| 14 | San Diego, CA. | 16 | 2 |
| 15 | Portland, or | 6 | -9 |
| 16 | Anchorage, A.K. | 7 | -9 |
| 17 | St. Paul, MN | 25 | 8 |
| 18 | Nashville, TN | 53 | 35 |
| 19 | New York, NY | 44 | 25 |
| 20 | Sitak, WA | 12 | -8 |
| 21 | Santa Ana, CA. | 82 | 61 |
| 22 | Newark, NJ | 60 | 38 |
| 23 | Tampa, FL | 32 | 9 |
| 24 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 17 | -7 |
| 25 | Miami, FL | 19 | -6 |
Americans keep an eye on big cities and big skies
We also see a similar mix of big cities and great outdoors when it comes to hotel and vacation rentals.
The big cities continue to call it a comeback, regaining its number one spot for New York City hotels, continuing to climb # 1 again to preserve New York City (# 2) hotels, where it reigned supreme. Chicago (# 3), Seattle (# 5), San Francisco (# 6), Los Angeles (# 10), Washington, DC (# 11), and other major metros have climbed into the top 25. Meanwhile, Anchorage (# 13), Denver (# 14), and Yellowstone (# 19) remain in the rankings despite a slight decline.
Vacation rentals, as usual, highlight a more eclectic mix of destinations. While major locations like Seattle (# 1), San Diego (# 2), Chicago (# 3), and New York City (# 8) are on the list, so are Bend, OR (# 10), Asheville, NC. There are also destinations (# 15), Myrtle Beach, SC (# 16), Port Angeles, WA (# 23), and Fredericksburg, TX (# 25).
Lodging destination ranking and ranking change
| 2022 Ranking | City, state | 2021 Ranking | Rank change (2021 to 2022) |
| 1 | Las Vegas, NV | 1 | 0 |
| 2 | New York, NY | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 8 | 5 |
| 4 | Orlando, FL | 2 | -2 |
| 5 | Seattle, WA | 11 | 6 |
| 6 | San Francisco, CA. | 9 | 3 |
| 7 | Honolulu, HI | 4 | -3 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | 6 | -2 |
| 9 | San Diego, CA. | 5 | -4 |
| 10 | Los Angeles, CA. | 16 | 6 |
| 11 | Washington DC | 17 | 6 |
| 12 | Nashville, TN | 12 | 0 |
| 13 | Anchorage, A.K. | 10 | -3 |
| 14 | Denver, CO | 13 | -1 |
| 15 | New Orleans, LA | 33 | 18 |
| 16 | Portland, or | 14 | -2 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | 90 | 73 |
| 18 | Lahena, H.I. | 7 | -11 |
| 19 | Yellowstone, WY | 27 | 8 |
| 20 | Anaheim, CA. | 18 | -2 |
| 21 | Atlanta, CA. | 21 | 0 |
| 22 | Austin, TX | 15 | -7 |
| 23 | Miami, FL | 24 | 1 |
| 24 | Houston, TX | 64 | 40 |
| 25 | Kissimi, FL | 31 | 6 |
Vacation rental destination ranking and ranking change
| 2022 Ranking | City, state | 2021 Ranking | Rank change (2021 to 2022) |
| 1 | Seattle, WA | 7 | 6 |
| 2 | San Diego, CA. | 1 | -1 |
| 3 | Chicago, IL | 8 | 5 |
| 4 | Provincetown, MA | 21 | 17 |
| 5 | Anchorage, A.K. | 3 | -2 |
| 6 | Honolulu, HI | 4 | -2 |
| 7 | Koloa, HI | 29 | 22 |
| 8 | New York, NY | 35 | 27 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | 9 | 0 |
| 10 | Turning, or | 28 | 18 |
| 11 | Los Angeles, CA. | 27 | 16 |
| 12 | Hilton Head Island, SC | 5 | -7 |
| 13 | Portland, or | 2 | -11 |
| 14 | Kissimi, FL | 17 | 3 |
| 15 | Asheville, NC | 102 | 87 |
| 16 | Myrtle Beach, SC | 76 | 60 |
| 17 | Lahena, H.I. | 14 | -3 |
| 18 | Nashville, TN | 6 | -12 |
| 19 | Washington DC | 15 | -4 |
| 20 | New Orleans, LA | 45 | 25 |
| 21 | Princeville, HI | 41 | 20 |
| 22 | Brooklyn, NY | 22 | 0 |
| 23 | Port Angeles, WA | 75 | 52 |
| 24 | Colorado Springs, CO | 63 | 39 |
| 25 | Fredericksburg, TX | 611 | 586 |
Method: Looking at TripIt US main round trip Flight Reserved for travel between June 1, 2021 and June 1, 2022 July 4th holiday (Friday, July 1 – Tuesday, July 5, 2022), and equivalent booking period In 2021. Reservation data on TripIt is provided by users and the booking provider is agnostic.
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