For those looking to make their summer vacation plans, many may be wondering where are the cheap flights, airfare deals, and vacation packages. Summer officially begins in a little over 2 months. Now is generally the time to book your travel.
Meanwhile, the economy and budget cheap travel spapackages crisis continue to make the headlines. The price of oil remains cheap travel spapackages high and gas prices are punishing people at the pump. And a check of weekly airline deals doesn t bring many options for summer.
It s not that there aren t any deals. This week is National Parks Week with free admission to national parks . There are some cheap flights to countries like Portugal. Spain, and Ireland . A number of airlines have cheap flights to Europe. And AirTran and Frontier are two of the first airlines to offer cheap flights for summer travel (the major airlines may soon follow).
However, the news isn t all good. Southwest has offered airfare sales through June 7 for a month now not a single airfare has gone on sale for summer. Delta just raised airfares by $10 because of rising fuel costs. cheap travel spapackages The costs of airfare are up over this time last year.
What about general travel concerns? Well there are the TSA body scanners (although Matt over at LandLopers recaps some interesting news stories in travel including an attempt at new traveler screening procedures for frequent fliers ). A woman is raped in the airport in Denver. Planes are making emergency landings and having close calls with other planes. Air traffic controllers are falling cheap travel spapackages asleep on the job. Airlines are still fighting with online booking sites. And some planes are falling apart in mid-air (Don t we just love when the media shares the news that scares the public?).
For those who enjoy cruises, recent turmoil in the Middle East and natural disasters in Japan have forced some cruises to cancel. While I am not a fan of cruises , there are some cruise deals out there. And for family travelers, cheap travel spapackages staying close to home this year may be your cheapest option cheap travel spapackages so look for deals close to home.
While it is a difficult year to find bargains for travel, there is still some hope. My 6 tips for finding the cheapest flights can help you any time of year. However, this year it will take some extra tips and thinking outside of the box to find those travel deals.
Budget cheap travel spapackages airlines cheap travel spapackages - More than ever, budget airlines will offer the best deals. The major airlines may soon follow but budget airlines are going to drive the airfare sales for summer as AirTran and Frontier have done.
Fly and drive - or boat, bike, ferry, hang glide, hitchhike, take the train, or whatever other option gets you to your destination. Find the cheapest flight to a city close to your destination and use another transportation method to get there and save money (check cheap travel spapackages out this example budget travel options from Seattle cheap travel spapackages to Vancouver )
Vacation packages - Many airlines partner cheap travel spapackages with their vacation sites (i.e. United Vacations, cheap travel spapackages Delta Vacations, etc) to put together packages for flights, hotels, and/or cars that cost less than booking these separately. Many airlines have partnerships with car rental companies and hotels that discount the price of some vacations (see how vacation packages can save you money ).
Be patient - If you are willing to take the risks, most airlines offer last minute getaways for this weekend or next weekend for both domestic and international getaways. If you want to go on vacation but don t need to make plans in advance, this may bring some good deals.
cheap travel spapackages Planning a vacation this summer is going to be more difficult and expensive. Travel discounts and deals aren t impossible but the current state of airlines and the economy doesn t make it easy. Summer vacations will go on just do your research and be patient.
Srsly.. where are the good deals?? We re looking at tickets to London or Scotland for July, and it s not looking too pretty. Wish we could fly by the seat of our pants more and book them the week before.
I thought I was the only one noticing that the scarce airfare deals out there. I do want to add that I see a lot of great deals for Costa Rica. The fly and drive deals also seem interesting but I have never tried them.
Good advice Jeremy. I would also add be flexible if you can on your dates and destination, since last minute deals on flights to certain destinations may pop up. I watched flight prices for 6 weeks when booking our flights from Germany cheap travel spapackages to Canada and unfortunately couldn t wait any longer as our dates weren t flexible, but I ve already seen prices on some airlines come down a bit after I bought of course.
That is unfortunate to hear that airlines prices overall are not that cheap. Although the state of the recession has improved I think there are still people hesitant to travel and high airline prices will not help. If people will not pony up for the higher prices they might be forced to lower them, so your be patient suggestion looks like a good one.
Excellent tips but it will not work for me unless I am over at your side of the world. We too have lots of major savings with the budget airlines cheap travel spapackages this part of the world. I should start looking now for next year.
I agree that the outlook for travel prices isn t all that good no matter what mode of transportation you are taking. cheap travel spapackages I just booked tickets to Europe for late August and was shocked that I could still use mileage at the saver rate! So I don t know if this means people aren t traveling to Europe or what.
@John I love the budget airlines in Europe. The one thing about airlines in Europe is that they can compete and fly into other countries. We don t have those same options in Europe. I actually wrote about why European airlines are better cheap travel spapackages than US ones. Where are you going in Portugal?
@Ted I am not sure what to think of the economy and travel right now. Seems people are cutting back on many things but travel seems to be in high demand. Maybe after a couple of years, people just want to get away to somewhere.
@Ben I understand your point and yes you are probably in the minority. However, think of it this way. $10 (each way) might not be a big deal to you but $10 each way for a family of 4 is $80. And many people are looking to save much more than $10.
@Norbert Having to fly in the US or from the US is a pain. I wish we had more options. Domestically, the new trains might be a good option but airlines desperately need competition. This is where Europe does a good job of that which keeps ticket prices lower.
We ve opted to take a road trip this summer, instead of flying to somewhere new. I know gas prices concern some people, but they ll actually be cheaper for us once we get out of the Bay Area! I guess that s the good side of paying for some of the most expensive gas in the country haha.
Best time to get deals for a trip is about 3 months to 1 month out. All of that varies based on a number of factors. However, one good way to get a good deal is right before the next season starts. For example, in late winter you can look for some early summer deals. In the middle of summer, start looking for travel deals in Autumn.
My name is Jeremy Branham and I love to travel. Check out my travel stories, cheap travel spapackages tips, guides, sports series, and adventures. If you're new, check out my getting started page. Or if you have an idea or question, send me an email
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