Are you still procrastinating about a Thanksgiving or Christmas trip this year? According to the most recent survey by airfarewatchdog.com, it’s a surprising buyer’s market — if you want to fly.

 

And some of the statistics are indeed surprising. “Our research shows travel up nine percent this holiday season over last year,” reports Amanda Norcross, Editor of airfarewatchdog.com. And Norcross adds that the number of people planning to fly has increased by 12 percent over 2017. 

 

“What is particularly surprising to us is how many people aren’t going to be driving,” she says. Her numbers point to a drop of 27 percent for the number of folks planning to drive to grandma’s house. And not only are more people flying, but the fares are still relatively affordable.

 

The Airfare Watchdog numbers point to bargains in places like Orlando, Las Vegas, and even Los Angeles. But perhaps the biggest surprise this year are the international airfare deals. Round-trip tickets are under $500 for destinations like Paris, Madrid, Helsinki and Zurich.