How flexible work is changing holiday travel trends.

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How flexible work is changing holiday travel trends.

A man on a couch drinking coffee in an airport lobby or co-working space.

Holiday travel typically falls on a specific set of dates. The days before and after major holidays are especially busy at airports, as people take their vacations and out-of-office announcements home for the holidays.

But the new remote and hybrid working conditions many workers find themselves in after the Covid-19 pandemic has changed how people travel for the holidays. With many professionals now able to work from anywhere, few need to take time off just because they are not in the same geographic area as their office.

This newfound flexibility has affected everything from the length of average holiday trips to the time it takes travelers to the airport. And many travel experts and industry leaders expect these changes to continue as the new normal. TravelPerk lists five ways that flexible jobs are influencing holiday travel trends, including Deloitte, The Washington Post and The New York Times. Read on to see how flexible working can change the look of holiday travel.

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Add in “jobs”;

A man working on a laptop while on the beach.

Flexible working is contributing to more Americans taking longer vacation trips. Employees can take more extended holiday trips as they can work from other destinations instead of taking their allotted vacation days. According to research by Deloitte, travelers add an average of six days to their trips due to remote work efficiency. This is linked to a larger trend of travelers combining work and leisure on long-haul trips due to the ability to work remotely – what some travel experts call “workplaces” or “luxury” trips. About 1 in 4 travelers expressed a desire to work while on their longest trip during the holiday season.

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Long vacations

A family with a luggage trolley looking at the arrival/departure board in an airport.

In general, remote work means that travelers are taking long trips. Telecommuters often take days off for leisure trips, especially holidays, where they work during the day but relax with friends and family on weekends or evenings. This pattern is evident in recent travel data.

The most popular day to travel for Thanksgiving in 2022 was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving (Nov. 18) rather than the Wednesday (Nov. 23), according to travel search engine Skyscanner. According to Skyscanner, the length of the trip has increased by an average of 26% and more employees are expressing satisfaction and relaxation from being able to spend time on vacation.

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Demand for midday flights has increased.

A plane that takes off at noon.

Flexible work has changed the time of day when people travel. When working mainly in the office, employees should plan their flight in the evening so that they can spend a full day in the office before traveling. According to the New York Times, however, American Airlines found that more travelers were booking midday flights. Travelers were once very interested in flights that took off before 8pm or 4pm, but their interest is shifting to midday flights, as they can now work remotely from laptops even in the air.

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Change of peak travel dates

A millennial couple standing together by a window watching a plane take off at the airport.

In the past, airlines have reported that passengers fly more frequently on certain days of the week than others. This is especially true around the holidays. But flexible work has changed as travelers have the flexibility to start trips early and end trips later. Travelers have reaped many benefits from flexible travel dates. Among these are the option to secure a better-priced flight ticket and the experience of traveling on weekdays is less crowded, creating a less crowded travel experience.

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The development of airport cooperation areas

A person multitasking on their phone and laptop at a co-working space in an airport.

As people travel more on weekdays, the need for more work spaces in the airport has become apparent. As such, a new amenity is coming to some airports: co-working spaces. A major player in the airport is the IWG company, which has around 50 workplaces in international airports. Some locations, such as the workspace in Amsterdam Airport, also have meeting rooms. The company said it plans to add more than 1,000 locations by 2023.

This story originally appeared on TravelPerk and was developed by
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