Travel this summer may give you heartburn
Thinking of traveling this summer? Better take some Tums. Why turn to heartburn medicine? Because you can expect higher prices for just about anything from air fares to hotels.
But that does not mean you should abandon all travel plans. There are alternatives.
Experts say "flexibility" is the key.
For example, vacation package deals in the US are often offering extra benefits to offset higher prices, particularly significant if the benefits being added fit your own particular travel requirements.
Other suggestions:
- Check out budget airlines. They are adding more routes.
- Consider trips to Central and South America. A burgeoning number of new hotels are spurring new, introductory low prices.
- If you are thinking of Asia, consider Japan. Summer airfare is down there compared to the previous year, says the Wall Street Journal.
- If you’re going to Europe, try the less crowded airports such as Dublin.
- Avoid a familiar stop in Europe, London, until after the Olympic Games end in August. Air fares there will be a premium until then.
- Eastern Europe and cities such as Prague and Croatia are priced lower than the rest of the continent. Some rooms are going for only $100 a night.
- Cruising prices in the Mediterranean region are at an all-time low in three years. Cruise lines continue to offer great deals.
If you can’t do any of the alternatives, here is why prices are rising.
Start with air fares.
"People I think are going to be shocked by how much higher some fares are," said Airfarewatchdog.com President George Hobica. "We’re seeing fares that we haven’t seen in years."
Driven by higher fuel prices and less competition, air fares across the country have gone up as much as 10%, say travel observers. In some areas, the increases have been even higher.
Compared to last summer, the average fare to Las Vegas is up nearly 20 percent, and to Cancun it’s up 26 percent, according to Kayak.
"International travel is much higher than it has been in previous summers," said Hobica. "Part of that’s taxes." Both airports and government have been regularly adding them.
Hotel fares are also up.
"We’re seeing about a 5 percent increase for the hotels, Jeanne Fosco, regional travel manager for AAA Chicago, told the Chicago Sun-Times.
So you will drive instead, right?
Gasoline prices remain near historic highs, even they have come down in recent weeks.
Steps taken by vacationers to keep costs down include tending to book hotel rooms with kitchenettes to save money on restaurant meals, say travel agents.
Even cruises are seeing some drop-off, observers say, in part because it costs more to fly or drive to the departing port.
By David Wilkening
David
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