Holiday travel tends to look chaotic on the ground. However, from a data perspective, it often reveals clear patterns, especially around distance and destination hubs.
To map those patterns in 2025, Start.io analyzed anonymized, aggregated mobile location signals between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, specifically around U.S. domestic travel of 100+ miles and international travel of 1,000+ miles. The result is a snapshot of how Americans traveled this past holiday season, including how far they went and which cities and countries captured the most holiday demand.
Holiday travel was overwhelmingly domestic, but not “short hops”
In 2025, Americans’ holiday travel was primarily a domestic phenomenon, with international trips representing a small slice of overall travel activity. According to Start.io data, about 26.43% of Americans traveled domestically over the holidays. By comparison, only about 0.82% of Americans travelled internationally.
But the more surprising detail is what happened inside that domestic travel bucket: Most holiday trips weren’t quick weekend-style drives. They skewed toward real distance.
Among domestic travelers:
- 43.26% traveled 500–1,000 miles
- 37.55% traveled 200–500 miles
- 19.19% traveled 100–200 miles
In other words, the holidays didn’t just prompt “nearby” travel; they prompted a meaningful amount of cross-region movement.
Hub cities pulled the most inbound travelers, and Texas powered a lot of the movement
Even within a domestic-heavy holiday season, travel demand didn’t spread evenly. It concentrated around major hub metros, with a few cities acting like magnets for inbound holiday travelers.
Below are the top holiday destination cities:
Table: Top destination cities (domestic)
| Rank | Destination city | Travelers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago | 737,142 |
| 2 | Dallas | 448,207 |
| 3 | Houston | 295,166 |
| 4 | Fort Worth | 182,132 |
| 5 | Minneapolis | 175,578 |
Source: Start.io analysis, January 2026
Chicago stands out as the top destination city, with 737,142 inbound travelers, well ahead of Dallas (448,207) and Houston (295,166).
On a related note: Texas wasn’t just represented in the destination list; it was also the single biggest “engine state” driving travel volume overall. Texans accounted for 1,346,379 domestic travelers.
International travel was border-first, but the next tier points toward APAC
International travel was a smaller slice of holiday movement overall, but it still reveals clear patterns. At the top of the list, proximity wins. Mexico and Canada dominated international destinations for Americans, reflecting the practical reality of short-haul flights and easier travel planning compared to longer-distance trips.
Table: Top international destination countries
| Rank | Country | Travelers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico | 47,804 |
| 2 | Canada | 40,811 |
| 3 | Japan | 16,739 |
| 4 | India | 16,233 |
| 5 | Brazil | 15,233 |
Source: Start.io analysis, January 2026
Mexico accounted for 47,804 travelers, while Canada drew 40,811 (about 10.6%).
The “next layer” after Mexico and Canada is notably APAC-forward. Japan (16,739), India (16,233), South Korea (13,748), Singapore (13,327), the Philippines (11,845), and Australia (10,452) all appear in the top 10, suggesting that when travelers did go long-haul for the holidays, a meaningful share of that demand pointed toward Asia-Pacific destinations.
Texas also shows up here as an international contributor: It led all states with 41,722 international travelers, again representing roughly 10.8% of international travelers observed.
Start.io delivers hundreds of millions of ads each day to thousands of top mobile apps and websites. Embedded in each ad request, where allowed, are data signals that help advertisers find their ideal audience. Start.io uses this data to build audience segments for advertisers, such as International Travelers in the United States. Learn more about our audience solutions at www.start.io/audience/.
