Thanksgiving Traditions Still Based on Turkey and Travel

But Some Americans Plan to Avoid Holiday Stress - Survey Shows One in Five Won't Do All the Cooking at Home

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 11, 2003: Thanksgiving is rich with traditions, but some Americans are creating less stressful ways to celebrate, according to a survey from discount travel site Hotwire.com and Harris Interactive®.

The tradition of giving thanks over dinner is alive and well with 98 percent of Americans planning to celebrate Thanksgiving with a meal. However, almost one in five people (18 percent) say they won't be cooking their entire meal, instead opting to eat out or buy prepared foods.

Many Americans Still Travel Far for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving continues to be one of the busiest travel periods of the year:

• 37 percent of those who will be away from home during the Thanksgiving holiday* say they will travel 100 miles or more.

• People living in the Western United States are most likely to travel far:

• Of those who will spend Thanksgiving away from home, almost 50 percent stated that they plan to travel more than 100 miles.

• 87 percent of those leaving home plan to celebrate the holiday at the home of family or friends.

To help keep holiday travel stress free this year, Hotwire has launched its "Plan Smart" holiday booking guide, a resource to help consumers find travel days with the most availability and lowest fares throughout the holiday season. The "Plan Smart" holiday booking guide can be found at Hotwire. (*36 percent of everyone surveyed say they will spend at least some part of their Thanksgiving holiday away from home).

New Turkey Time Traditions

Why are almost 20 percent of Americans making a new tradition of meals prepared all or partially outside the home? The top two reasons indicated were "less stressful" (61 percent) and "more time to visit with family and friends" (37 percent).

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