Dreading the thought of spending Thanksgiving with your family? One woman has swapped the yearly tradition for a more unconventional one—solo international travel—for the past four years and never looked back.
In a TikTok video shared under the username @meredithonthemap, which has had over 13,000 views since it was posted on November 8, Meredith Pierce, a 31-year-old social media marketer from Atlanta, Georgia, discussed her approach to spending the holiday abroad.
"One of my favorite travel strategies is traveling over Thanksgiving and not just to escape your family," Pierce says in the video, emphasizing the opportunity to "re-center" herself before the busy holiday season.
In an interview with Newsweek, Pierce elaborated on her choice to travel during Thanksgiving for the past four years. "It's the perfect combination—you have one or two extra days off work, so you have to use less PTO [paid time off], and international flights are very affordable because demand for domestic flights is higher during that week," she told Newsweek. "Plus, November is a great time to visit most of the world, so you have a lot of destinations to choose from."
Pierce's video post comes as nearly 80 million people in the U.S. are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, setting record levels across various forms of travel, from driving and flying to cruising, according to the AAA.
Travel is projected to hit "record highs" in 2024, with global tourism spending forecast to reach U.S. $2 trillion, according to Euromonitor International, a market research firm.
Pierce notes that while many in the U.S. receive additional days off for Thanksgiving, the holiday is not observed internationally, leading to lower demand and prices for overseas travel.
"In the U.S., some people get one or two days off of work for Thanksgiving, so you're able to use like three days of PTO to take a longer vacation," she says in the clip. "But the rest of the world doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving, so flights aren't really that expensive internationally."
She also highlights the advantages of traveling during the "shoulder season," the period before peak holiday travel. "There are no crowds or higher rates at hotels as it's shoulder season in a lot of places," Pierce said, adding that "November is a great time to travel because the weather is usually pretty mild."
Financially, this strategy has proven beneficial for Pierce. "I've saved hundreds of dollars employing this travel strategy," she told Newsweek. "This year, I booked my flight to Japan on miles, but last year my flight to Morocco was only $500 when it can easily be over $1,000. Hotels are very reasonable since you're not dealing with peak summer or holiday rates."
For those considering last-minute Thanksgiving travel, Pierce offers encouragement. "You can absolutely get last-minute Thanksgiving deals! I post videos every week where I track flight deals, and there has been a ton of cheap availability to Europe and Asia leaving on Thanksgiving or Black Friday," she said.
When selecting destinations, Pierce often lets flight deals guide her choices. "I typically let the flight deal decide my destination, but I have a wish list of places I'll prioritize," she explained. "I've wanted to go to Japan, where I am right now, for many years but this was the year I finally spotted a good deal."
Her past Thanksgiving travels have included Morocco and Guatemala. Looking ahead, Pierce hopes to find deals to Vietnam, Argentina, or New Zealand for future Thanksgiving adventures.
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