Study Reveals Floridians Dream Christmas Destination

Traveling for Christmas is normal for most people. Whether they're traveling to see family or to get away from normalcy and explore somewhere new. It's no secret a lot of people travel to Florida for the holidays to take advantage of our warmer weather and visit all the theme parks. A recent study revealed Floridians' dream Christmas destination while their home state is being overrun with visitors.

The study conducted by cloudwards.net showed a few key takeaways. Most people in sunny states like California, Florida, and Nevada dream of a white, snowy Christmas. While other states prefer to see festive Christmas festivals and markets in places like Chicago, New York, and Branson, Missouri. Despite all of the Florida holiday traffic nightmares, no state listed a Florida city as its dream Christmas location in this study. You can see where each state dreams of traveling for Christmas here.

In a perfect world, most people would love to travel internationally for their dream Christmas destination. The most popular international destinations include Paris, Quebec City, and Barcelona.

Cloudwards.net explains their research process. Their research team began their search on social media platforms like TikTok and explored various online sources. Then they analyzed Google search volume data with specific keywords like “Christmas in X (location)”. They would also search for things to do for Christmas in each city. Their study was conducted globally, so they also included data in English and the country's native language. Learn more about their methods here.

This study looked at where Floridians would love to travel globally and domestically. It revealed that despite bragging about warm weather year-round, most Floridians would love to see a European-style Christmas. The top Christmas travel destination is Vienna. It's easy to understand why. A lot of Christmas traditions originated in Europe and many countries transform with Christmas markets. Many dream of seeing snow-covered historical buildings, glittering lights, and quaint coffee shops with winter-themed drinks and mulled wine.

Now we realize that traveling internationally is not a possibility for a lot of people. Instead, they dream of a similar German-like town that is actually not that far from the Sunshine State. According to this study, the domestic dream Christmas destination for Floridians is Helen, Georgia. This town has one of the best Bavarian-style Christmas markets in the U.S.. Nature lovers will also love this area with multiple hikes and waterfalls nearby.

As a born and raised Floridian, I totally understand the desire to travel and see and enjoy some true winter activities. Even though I'll take the warm weather to shoveling snow every day, it's nice to getaway from the heat for a little bit. Where is your dream Christmas destination? Let us know on social media!

Chances are minimal that we'll see a white Christmas in Florida this year. Actually, Tampa Theatre is playing White Christmas that week, but that's probably not going to make you bust out a sweater and mittens... do you really own a pair of mittens?

Here are some good deals I found from Tampa International Airport for Christmas week. All of these flights are for a 7 day stay leaving the Wednesday before Christmas on December 20 and returning to Tampa on Wednesday, December 27. Definitely avoiding travel those last few days before Christmas and the day after Christmas will save you some cash. I usually fly on Christmas day itself. You save a bundle and won't have to deal with insane crowds. If you get an evening flight, you'll still get to spend Christmas morning with friends and family.

None of these cities will guarantee you a snowfall on Christmas, but if you've been nice this year, Santa might work some magic. Here are 5 of my favorite picks that are an easy 2-3 hour flight from Florida. And most are priced right at the moment from Tampa.

While you don't always see snow in the city itself on Christmas Day, there are usually plenty of options a day trip away. I'd suggest heading up into the mountains of Vermont. They're amazing in the fall but my Christmas, those colorful leaves are long gone so you won't see those. But there are a ton of scenic routes to the ski resorts where you'll find all the snow you need - even if it's not natural stuff. As a Floridian, you won't be able to tell the difference. Portland, Maine is another great spot to spend Christmas. Do some shopping at LL Bean or just watch the lights sparkle in Portland's Old Port while you devour lobster rolls.

The windy city means crazy wind chills. But you can always warm up with a big deep dish pizza at one of my favorite spots in the world Lou Malnati's. There are locations all around the Chicago area and I've yet to have a bad pizza at any of them. Catch a Blackhawks game while you're there too. As great as Sonya Bryson is when she does the Star Spangled Banner at Tampa Bay Lightning games, the national anthem experience in Chicago cannot be topped. It'll rock your world.

While politicians don't conjure up warm fuzzy feelings for the holidays, DC can get its fair share of the white stuff. A couple years ago they got more than any of the states in the northeast. Plus you're a short train ride away from lots of other great spots to visit for Christmas like New York and Philadelphia.

This one's the priciest flight on this list, but I love visiting Montreal. You're almost guaranteed to see some snow during a December visit. But don't bring just a Florida-level winter jacket. December in Montreal can be brutally cold with temps below freezing at times. Even though I hate the team, a Montreal Canadiens game is a must if they're in town while you're there. The loudest hockey game I ever went to was a WATCH party for the Habs when they were playing the Rangers in New York City.

This last one I can't tell you a single thing about. I've never been to Watertown, New York. It made this list only because it's so darn cheap. Flying around Christmas to one of the northern most parts of the U.S. for under $200? That's a deal. And I'm sure the hot cocoa will taste just as good as it would in Manhattan.