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Forget cozy cabins, woodlands ablaze with fiery fall hues and tranquil countryside walks — Americans are heading to the towering skyline of New York City this Thanksgiving. The Big Apple, home to the iconic Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, has emerged as the ultimate Turkey Day destination for the fifth year running in an annual study of holiday travel trends. The research, by insurance firm Allianz Partners, drew up 10-strong rankings of top Thanksgiving destinations based on an analysis of over 700,000 itineraries for round-trip flights departing Nov 22-27 and returning November 28 to December 2, 2025. New York City is No.1 in U.S. holiday travel list, followed closely by Seattle (No.2) and Phoenix (No.3), where travelers will swap fall leaves for skyline vistas and desert sunsets. Atlanta (No.4) and Dallas (No.5) round out the top five, with the rest of the list comprising Los Angeles (No.6), Orlando (No.7), Boston (No.8), Miami (No.9) and Chicago (No.10). Many Americans, however, are redefining tradition — leaving behind the turkey and trimmings for beachside celebrations and metropolitan destinations further afield. For Thanksgiving globetrotters, it's Cancun in Mexico that has the most appeal. The Caribbean resort city, famed for its upscale shoreline hotels and flour-soft sands, leads the top 10 international list, with two other Mexican spots following in second and third — San Jose del Cabo and Puerto Vallarta. Americans are also catching longer flights, heading across the pond to London (No.4) and Paris (No.6). The rest of the top 10 international ranking comprises Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (No.5); Montego Bay, Jamaica (No.7), Mexico City (No.8), Oranjestad, Aruba (No.9), and Providenciales Island, Turks and Caicos (No.10). Separately, Allianz Partners polled 1,200 customers for further Turkey Day travel insight, with the results revealing that 82 percent of itineraries are booked for domestic destinations and 18 percent for international trips. Flying remains the dominant mode of transportation this Thanksgiving, with 74 percent of survey respondents taking to the skies, while eight percent plan to rent a car, two percent will drive their own vehicles, and six percent intend to travel by train. The remaining 10 percent of respondents noted that they will be traveling by "other" modes of transportation. Proximity to family and friends (59 percent) remains the leading factor in choosing a Thanksgiving destination, followed by cost (17 percent) and weather (10 percent). Since 2019, Thanksgiving travel has surged. In that year, around 55 million Americans packed their suitcases for the holiday, but 80 million did so in 2024. This year's figures, however, may be affected by flight cuts due to the government shutdown. Airports in New York City, Los Angeles and Chicago are among the 40 major travel hubs to be affected.
