Santa Parked His Sleigh & Flew Coach Around the World for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

This holiday season, St. Nick has parked his sleigh to fly coach around the world for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Delivering toys to good girls and boys around the globe, Santa Claus is undoubtedly a seasoned traveler. This year, however, he’s eschewed his traditional mode of transport to fly economy.

Santa’s journey — documented in a video recently released by Expedia — was of course in aid of a good cause. The travel website hopes that this short, entitled “Santa Flies Coach,” will encourage members of its Expedia+ loyalty program to donate their rewards to the Memphis-based St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, just as Santa himself did after completing his travels.

Starting at the North Pole, St. Nick flew 19,602 miles in 49.7 hours, taking in Honolulu, Tokyo, Dubai, Paris, Dublin and New York. While he paused for photos, rode in the cockpit on one leg of his journey, and even hoisted a pint of milk in Dublin, nothing could keep him from his final destination — the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

After he handed out gifts to the children at St. Jude, St. Nick finally paused to donate his Expedia+ points. Expedia hopes that other Expedia+ earners will follow Santa’s example. While members have the option of donating their points directly to St. Jude, they can also opt to give a cash gift, with all proceeds going directly to the hospital.

“More people travel during the holidays than any other time of year,” said Vic Walia, Expedia’s senior director of brand marketing. “We hope this campaign will encourage people to donate their Expedia+ rewards to St. Jude, considering how quickly they can add up during the busy travel season.”

Expedia+ reward earners can donate their points at Expedia.com/Santa and share their goodwill on Twitter alongside #SantaFliesCoach.

[Photo & Video: Expedia]