Most Popular Family Travel Destinations This Holiday Season

Luxury travel network Virtuoso examined more than $40.7 billion in travel transactions to discover the hottest destinations for this year’s fall and holiday travel. Do your family’s upcoming travel plans make the list?

Based on future bookings, the most popular destinations for American travelers this fall and holiday season are Italy, France, South Africa, Israel, Germany, Japan, Greece, the United States (domestic travel), New Zealand and Switzerland.

Europe is always a popular choice for Americans in the fall and winter, particularly Germany for its holiday markets and river cruises. If a German Christmas market is on your list, try Munich if you have older kids or you’re traveling with your all-adult crew. If you have smaller kids or toddlers, it might be worth it to check out some of the smaller (but equally magical) Christmas markets around Germany that have fewer crowds and are less overwhelming.

Greece’s affordability and mild temperatures make it attractive if you’re on a budget. Italy and France, however, at the top two spots for fall and holiday travel, seem to rarely fall out of style with American travelers, if at all.

Meanwhile, Japan is a relatively new destination for a lot of families, and Virtuoso called it a “top emerging destination.” One aspect of Japan that’s sure to meet your little globetrotters’ demands? All the amazingly over-the-top theme parks. There’s Tokyo Disneyland; Tokyo Disney Sea; Hanayashiki (Japan’s oldest theme park); KidZania; Cosmo World; and Universal Studios.

The Middle East and North Africa are in high demand as well. Beyond Israel, which increased bookings by 88 percent over the last year, Morocco’s tourism increased by 144 percent, year over year, and Egypt is also showing impressive growth, thanks to increased stability and security. Turkey, though it didn’t make the list of top fall and holiday travel destinations, did experience the largest growth in year-over-year bookings among U.S. travelers, according to separate Virtuoso research.

South Africa and New Zealand, in the third and ninth spots respectively for fall and holiday travel, are “perennially fashionable for families and adventure travelers.” The Southern Hemisphere destinations are also popular with sun-seekers who want to escape the cold. A South African safari can be an unforgettable experience if you’re traveling with teens (after all, this is a truly once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity for most — you might as well make sure you go when they’re old enough to actually remember it!). Likewise, traversing New Zealand to see your favorite film settings up close and personal can be just the thing to bring the family closer together.