Guest Column: Insider tips on Easter travel
Guest Column
By Angela Lyda
Conventional wisdom says that travelling over any three-day holiday weekend will be more expensive, so Easter should be no exception, right? Wrong. While everyone else is staying close to home, savvy travelers pack up their family instead and take advantage of a little-known, bargain-hunting paradise.
Contrary to what many may think, Easter weekend is a slow time for many travel providers, and open inventory means cheap prices. Yes, Easter falls near the ever-popular spring break timeframe, and any long weekend generally gives people more opportunity (and desire) to travel. However, exact spring break timing varies based on grade-school districts.
Additionally, Easter is more of a “stay at home or with family” kind of holiday. As a result, hotels and resorts are relatively vacant and offer great deals to entice travelers. Beyond just the lower price point, these deals often include complimentary extras such as spa and dining credits.
There are excellent options for every kind of trip as well. Whether you’re looking for a traditional family escape, multi-generational trip, romantic jaunt or just a weekend getaway with friends, three days is plenty of time to enjoy a fantastic adventure at even better prices.
For Easter-weekend vacationers, these trip types should be top of mind to score the best deals:
o Big cities offering the biggest savings – From Chicago to San Francisco, big city hotels are missing business travelers during the long weekend and make up for it by enticing consumers with deep discounts – up to 55 percent cheaper than busier times.
o Beach resorts– Leisure resort destinations like San Diego and Myrtle Beach typically see a dip in traffic over the Easter weekend and offer sales to get folks onto their beaches. You should expect to pay off-season pricing here. However, Mexico is one of the exceptions to this rule, so try to avoid it.
o Bucket-list destinations – Popular, exotic destinations depend heavily on leisure travel and many offer great deals over the Easter weekend when traffic levels dip. That holds true both domestically and internationally. Destinations like Napa and Sonoma, for example, can offer the perfect weekend trip. And if you’re looking for something bigger, destinations in Europe and South America offer great values this time of year as well.
Angela Lyda is a senior editor at Travel Ticker, an online travel website that that negotiates deals with multiple hotel, airlines, cruises and other travel partners.
David
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