Summer’s biggest travel weekend is just around the corner and there’s good news and not-so-good news in store when it comes to July 4 travel trends.
The good news?
According to KAYAK, flight prices are down this year compared to last July 4. Average airfare costs have dropped 5 percent for domestic travel and 8 percent for international travel compared to 2024.
A variety of factors are contributing to the decline in the cost of airline tickets for the mega-travel July 4 weekend, including increased competition from low-cost carriers, which is driving prices down on popular routes.
Travelers are also spreading out, opting for lesser-known or more far-flung destinations, which eases pricing pressure on the most in-demand spots,” Kayla DeLoache, KAYAK’s travel trends expert, told TravelPulse.
The cheapest day to fly domestically will be July 1, when the average ticket price is $301, followed by July 3 when ticket prices are about $307.
So where is everyone headed for the popular holiday this year? Bozeman, Montana; San Diego, California and Kahului, Hawaii are surging in searches on KAYAK this year, compared to the same period last year.
Meanwhile, New York, Orlando and Denver sit firmly atop KAYAK’s most popular destinations list, (meaning these destinations received the largest number of searches on the KAYAK platform for the July 4 holiday weekend.)
Historically, July 4 leans heavily domestic when it comes to travel choices (being an American holiday, after all). But some travelers are venturing further, opting for international getaways.
“It’s always exciting when we see international destinations trending to mix things up a little,” said DeLoach. “This year, we’re seeing Rome and London in the top 10 trending destinations even though 69 percent of total searches for the holiday weekend are for domestic travel.”
Road trips also appear to be popular this year. Interest in U.S. road trips is up 6 percent compared to last year, and rental car rates are holding steady (up 2 percent), according to KAYAK data.
Now for the less than ideal news….
July also happens to be the month with the highest rate of travel delays. A eye-popping 34 percent of flights are delayed during July, according to to. KAYAK.
It’s also going to be busy (no surprise there.) The Transportation Safety Administration (TSA) has said it expects to screen more than 18.5 million people over the July 4, 2025
holiday travel period (which technically stretches from Tuesday, July 1, through Monday,
July 7.) The highest passenger volume is expected on Sunday, July 6, with
about 2.9 million people predicted to fly on that day alone.
But not to worry, we’ve got some travel hacks for you.
To minimize the risk of delays, consider departing between 5 a.m. and 7 am, when only around 15 percent or fewer flights are delayed, says KAYAK.
It’s best to avoid evening departures, especially after 6 pm, as the delay rate can exceed 40 percent.
You’ll also want to skip flying on June 30. Last year 1 in 3 flights were delayed on this day.
And finally, consider selecting smaller airports to fly in and out of when possible. Second-tier airports in locals like Palm Springs, California; Fresno, California; and Honolulu, Hawaii experienced some of the best on-time records last year, according to a KAYAK analysis.
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