TripAdvisor®, the world's most popular and largest travel community, today announced the results of its December holiday travel survey of more than 1,200 travelers. Despite the economy, the number of Americans traveling for the holidays has increased slightly in each of the last three years: 45 percent of Americans are planning to travel for the December holidays this year, up from 42 percent one year ago and 39 percent in 2007.

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New York and Los Angeles are the top two major U.S. cities travelers plan to visit during the holidays, according to the survey. Since September, these destinations have seen an approximately 100 percent increase in flights search activity on TripAdvisor. Honolulu and Las Vegas are the cities people wish they were visiting this holiday season. These "dream" destinations saw an approximately 50 percent increase in flights search since September.

Tightening Santa's Belt a Bit Less

Sixty-two percent of travelers will be more budget conscious with their travel this December holiday season than last, down from 68 percent who answered the same one year ago. Among those planning to save, 50 percent plan to do so by staying at or near home instead of traveling, 20 percent plan to take a shorter trip than usual, and 15 percent will drive rather than fly.

Only Relative-ly Joyful

Eighty percent of travelers plan to see relatives over the December holidays, almost identical to 81 percent last year. Nearly 40 percent of travelers said they often feel pressure to spend the holidays with their families, and 22 percent said they often see family for the December holidays out of guilt.

Fifteen percent admitted they were not very excited about seeing their family over the December holidays this year, and 25 percent of those staying with their relatives over the holidays confessed they'd rather stay somewhere else. Nineteen percent even said they've cut a holiday family trip shorter than planned because they were "family-ed" out.

Travelers Confess to Holiday Stress

Nearly 50 percent of travelers said they often find the holidays stressful. As for the best remedy, 22 percent responded that taking a trip somewhere is the best holiday stress-reliever. Getting more sleep and avoiding crowds came in second and third, respectively.

A Holly Jolly Houseguest

With family crowded together for the holidays, there's bound to be a glitch or two. The top faux pas committed by travelers when staying with or hosting family during the December holiday season are:

  Arguing with a family member: 31%
  Accidentally insulting a family member: 17%
  Forgetting to bring a present for someone: 13%

  Santa vs. Scrooge

Given that the holidays can be a stressful time for travelers, it may not be surprising that 39 percent of respondents admit that when traveling for the holidays they identify more with Scrooge ("Bah humbug! Traveling for the holidays is a pain, not to mention expensive"), than the 61 percent who identify more with Santa ("I love traveling for the holidays!").

Holiday Headaches

According to travelers, the least enjoyable parts of traveling for the December holidays remain the same as last year: airline delays and cancellations (25 percent), inclement weather (20 percent), and price of transportation (14 percent).

All I Want for Christmas...is a GPS

Thirty-eight percent of travelers are hoping to receive a travel-related gift this December holiday season, while only 23 percent of travelers plan to buy one.

The top 5 travel-related gifts for this holiday season, according to TripAdvisor travelers:

  1. GPS device
  2. Digital camera
  3. Noise-cancelling headphones
  4. Electronic book reader
  5. Luggage

  We Wish You a Warmer Christmas

Top 3 U.S. Cities travelers wish they were visiting during the December holidays:

  1. Honolulu
  2. Las Vegas
  3. Orlando

"Whether travelers identify more with Santa or Scrooge when it comes to holiday travel, the majority will be spending time with their families this December," said Christine Petersen, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "With more people hitting the road, travelers should just try to relax and embrace the spirit of the season when faced with the inevitable stress of holiday travel."

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor® Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 36 million monthly visitors* across 15 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor®, www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.frequentflier.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, 11 million registered members and 30 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover more than one million destinations, hotels, restaurants and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie/), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr/), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de/), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it/), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es/), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in/), Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp/), Portugal and Brazil (http://www.tripadvisor.com.br/), Sweden (http://www.tripadvisor.se/), The Netherlands (http://nl.tripadvisor.com/) and Canada (http://www.tripadvisor.ca/). TripAdvisor also operates in China under the brand daodao.com (http://www.daodao.com/) and Kuxun.cn (http://www.kuxun.cn/). TripAdvisor® Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. .

TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

©2009 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2009

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor