Skift Take

Don't expect to see tour busses en masse in Hartford, Connecticut in the near future, but these lists demonstrate how people travel beyond the cliches.

A Connecticut city and a southern Indian metropolis are among the destinations travelers yearn for the most, according to Kayak’s data team.

Kayak analyzed data from more than one billion searches conducted in the U.S. and Canada between November 1, 2013 to October 31, 2014 for travel occurring during that timeframe. As always, this year’s lists of top places to visit from various travel media include some lesser trafficked cities that may never win name recognition like London or Paris and populate these one billion searches.

Still, when Hartford, Connecticut and Hyderabad, India make it on the top 10 list of trending destinations worldwide this is something that cannot be ignored.

Is it a fluke?

Not so, says David Solomito, a spokesperson for Kayak.

“While Hartford does have a solid mix of business and cultural activities, we believe the primary driver in its newfound interest has been the increase in direct flights added to Bradley International Airport which provides more options to those looking to fly in and out of the region,” said Solomito.

“Hyderabad is gaining popularity for its growing tech community and vibrant nightlife.”

Milan, Italy was the top trending destination during that period and also the top “deals” destination, or the city with the greatest drop in round-trip airfare year-over-year from the U.S. and Canada.

Searches were up 105% year-over-year for Milan, which was also chosen as the number one place to go in 2015 by the New York Times for its “52 Places to Go” list, although the search data preceded news of its top spot on that list.

“Milan also completed a major urban renewal which could be a contributing factor along with the interest in the upcoming World Expo this year,” said Solomito. “It should also be noted that Emirates has opened a popular New York City to Milan route.”

Airfare dropped 13% year-over-year for Milan, sitting at just over $1000 in December, while Hyderabad, the number two deals destination, saw its airfare drop 11% year-over-year to about $1500.

Cities like Seattle, Portland, Oregon and Savannah, Georgia also made the lists, with Savannah making both the deals and trending lists.

Kayak also found U.S. and Canadian travelers should book travel to Europe at least six months in advance for the cheapest round-trip airfares, the longest advanced booking time of any continent. Africa follows at two months and other continents and regions have recommended advanced booking times of only a few weeks before departure.

Africa had the highest average airfare for round-trip flights from the U.S. and Canada for the period examined ($1,334), trailed by Asia ($1,275) and Europe ($1,132).

Australia was not part of this data pool.

Top 10 Trending Destinations on Kayak for Flight Searches from the U.S. and Canada, 2014 vs. 2013

Rank City % Increase in Flight Searches 2014 vs. 2013
1 Milan, Italy 105%
2 Rio de Janiero 49%
3 Portland, Oregon 45%
4 Hyderabad, India 42%
5 Athens, Greece 17%
6 Toronto, Canada 16%
7 Savannah, Georgia 15%
8 Nashville, Tennessee 15%
9 Hartford, Connecticut 15%
10 Montreal, Canada 14%

Top 10 Destinations With Largest Average Decreases in Round-Trip Airfare from U.S. and Canada

Rank City % Decrease in Avg. Round-Trip Airfare 2014 vs. 2013
1 Milan, Italy 13%
2 Hyderabad, India 11%
3 New Delhi, India 11%
4 Vancouver, Canada 10%
5 Guadalajara, Mexico 9%
6 Hong Kong 9%
7 Savannah, Georgia 8%
8 Toronto, Canada 7%
9 Bangkok, Thailand 7%
10 Lima, Peru 7%

Source: Kayak

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Photo credit: Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan, Italy, the most searched city and the city with the best round-trip airfare from the U.S. and Canada on Kayak. Bert Kauffman / Flickr

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