Reading Time: 4 minSummer’s right around the corner, and with kids on break and more flexible work schedules, it’s the perfect time to plan that much-needed vacation. But where is everyone heading this summer?
Thanks to search data from Points Path, we’ve got the scoop on the top five destinations travelers are eyeing from several major U.S. cities between Memorial Day and Labor Day. From New York to LA and everywhere in between, here are the spots that are trending this summer.
With more than 23.5 million people living in the tri-state area, it’s no surprise that New York’s three major airports are among the busiest in the country. And according to our data, international travel is top of mind for many New Yorkers this summer.
London, Paris, Athens, and Tokyo lead the list of most-searched destinations from NYC. In fact, London and Paris alone make up nearly one-third of the top 10 searches in Points Path from JFK, LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR).
If you’re a New Yorker with your sights set on London, cash fares are surprisingly reasonable this summer, and often a better deal than using points or miles. But if you’d rather save cash and burn the miles, you can actually find some decent values by using Delta SkyMiles for economy redemptions.
Los Angeles ranks as the second most searched departure city for summer travel, with four major airports in the area: LAX, Burbank (BUR), John Wayne (SNA), and Ontario (ONT). And travelers from LA are looking to head far and wide, with New York, Tokyo, and London being the top three destinations.
Roundtrip flights from LA to New York — the most searched route — typically range from $200 to $300 in cash, or 20,000 to 30,000 miles using points.
Whether it’s worth using miles depends on your travel dates, but we found Delta and JetBlue often offered some of the best economy award values on this route in our searches.
Travelers departing from the Bay Area have similar interests as those in Los Angeles, with New York and London topping the list of most searched destinations by a wide margin. Tokyo came in third, and Chicago and Boston were close behind.
For those looking to head to London from San Francisco, there’s solid summer award availability on Virgin Atlantic. Better yet, Virgin points are easy to earn, since they're transfer partners with nearly every major rewards program, including American Express, Bilt, Capital One, Chase, and Citi.
Boston travelers are casting a wide net this summer, with London leading the list of most searched destinations. Close behind are Los Angeles, Paris, and San Francisco — a mix of both European escapes and U.S. coast-to-coast adventures.
Flying to Europe from the East Coast has its perks, especially when it comes to price. We found roundtrip economy flights to London for as low as 45,000 Alaska miles or 47,000 Delta SkyMiles on several dates throughout the summer.
Dallas travelers are looking for quick getaways this summer, with Cancun topping the list by a wide margin. In fact, Cancun had 20% more searches than each of the next three destinations — London, Tokyo, and Honolulu — which all had similar search volumes.
If you have Alaska miles, you're in luck. You can book a roundtrip in economy from Dallas to Cancun for just 15,000 miles and $150 on American, with availability throughout much of the summer.
While the top 5 most searched starting points are detailed above, we gathered Points Path data from the top 10 most searched origin cities, and some overall trends quickly become apparent.
London came out as the clear favorite, ranking as the number one or two most popular destination for travelers departing from seven of the top 10 cities. Paris was the most searched European city after London, with Athens and Barcelona close behind.
For those craving something more exotic, Tokyo made a strong showing, appearing as a top destination from all 10 cities. And domestically, New York remains a popular summer hotspot for travelers.
With over 500 commercial airports in the U.S., getting away this summer is easier than ever. And while popular routes are always in high demand, there are plenty of off-the-beaten-path destinations to discover.
Fortunately, Points Path can help you navigate through all the flight options, showing you the best value for your miles or cash. Just install Points Path to compare flight prices in both frequent flyer miles and cash, and with a little planning, you can unlock amazing summer getaways!
