No plans for New Years Eve? I’ve got you covered!
I’m headed back to 660 News next week to chat about where Calgarians are travelling over New Years and in 2018. As you can imagine, KAYAK, the world’s leading travel search engine has all this data. They sifted through it for me so I could analyze our local travel preferences. I can’t believe I just admitted to analyzing data. Please don’t tell any of my cool friends.
If you do stay in Calgary, show some local love
So get this, Calgary is one of the top trending New Years Eve destinations for those on a budget. For real, people are coming to us! That totally takes the pressure off. The takeaway? No shame in keeping it local.
I’ve never been to Playa Caballo, Mexico, but I sure would like to go! (Photo: Puerto Vallarta Tourism)
Best sun destinations for Calgarians
Calgarians themselves are looking to escape the cold for warm weather destinations over New Years. Three of the most popular spots are in Florida and Mexico. Here’s the top 10 New Year’s Eve destinations according to recent KAYAK searches:
- Fort Lauderdale
- Orlando
- Cancun
- Los Angeles
- New York
- Las Vegas
- Miami
- Toronto
- Vancouver
- Bangkok
So if you want to stay within the country for New Years Eve, Toronto and Vancouver are the two cities generating the most interest among Calgarians. Since Vancouver is only an hour flight from Calgary, it’s the perfect weekend escape to ring in the new year without having to travel too far.
Where to go in Mexico in 2018
Mexico Continues to gain momentum for 2018. Cancun, Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City all saw an increase in searches over the New Years period. Travel to Mexico has never been easier thanks to added flights from Aeromexico and WestJet.
Puerto Vallarta celebrates their 100 year anniversary as a tourism destination in 2018 (Photo credit: Puerto Vallarta Tourism)
The median airfare to top Mexican cites according to KAYAK is $688 to Cancun, $632 to Puerto Vallarta and $714 to Mexico City. If you’ve resolved to keep to your budget, check out Hotel Roosevelt in Mexico City. I spotted it sub $100 on KAYAK.
What’s new in Las Vegas?
Vegas is trending #1 for Canada, but it takes the 6th spot for Calgarians. Still, Vegas has seen a 50% increase in searches compared to last year. While Vegas clubs are world famous, I suspect Canadians have other celebrations in mind. Vegas’ newly formed hockey team, the Golden Knights, is facing off against the Maple Leafs on New Years Eve at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights play a Canadian team on New Year’s Eve (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)
For those on a budget, I spotted a sweet deal on Kayak.com at the Oasis at Gold Spike. It’s in Downtown Vegas, a recently revitalized area I can heartily endorse. Wondering where to eat in Vegas? Check out my faves here and if you’ve ever fantasized about operating a bull dozer, see my top recs for what to do in Vegas besides gambling.
What’s hot for travel in 2018?
With more flight routes opening up between Canada and Asia, Asian cities are becoming increasingly popular travel destinations for 2018. According to recent KAYAK searches, Bangkok and Tokyo snagging the #4 and #5 spots.
When’s the best time to book New Years Eve flights?
When it comes to New Years Eve flights, go ahead and procrastinate. Some of the cheapest flights can be found just two weeks prior to the big event. So get on it now!
Where do you plan on ringing in the New Year?
Thank you to KAYAK for partnering this post. And thanks to you, dear reader, for following Travels with Baggage. Wishing all of you a totally chill, happy holiday season.
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