What Would You Give Up to Travel This Summer?

By Meredith McKee, Senior Account Executive, Consumer

When summer rolls around I try to go on as many vacations as possible to escape the Texas heat! And the annual AAA summer travel forecast reveals that I’m not alone. According to the study, Americans are traveling this Memorial Day no matter what, with an estimated 34.9 million travelers hitting the road over the holiday weekend.

Despite high gas prices about 30.9 million people will drive over Memorial Day weekend where the 2008 report revealed that gas prices kept many travelers at home. AAA’s study also found that just fewer than 3 million would take to the skies for the holiday weekend, an 11.5 percent increase year over year, despite the 14 percent airfare increase.

AAA is saying people are giving up other budget items so they can make their travels happen. I would rather travel than do most things. So I’m watching my shoe budget (I know this is shocking) and going on vacation. And remember there are still plenty of ways to save on travel. Here are just a few:

• New Airlines Coming to Town – Check your local airport and find out who’s new. They maybe offering special incentives or deals to kick off their business in your market. For example, Virgin America just landed in DFW and is now flying to LA and San Francisco. Virgin has been great at keeping pricing competitive, and they offered a Groupon for $100 off a flight. And Qantas just started flying out of DFW as well. Trip to Australia anyone?!

• Booking Tips – Book an opaque hotel, like Travelocity’s Top Secret Hotels, where you don’t know the name of the hotel until you have booked. This is an easy way to save up to 55 percent on your hotel bookings. Also, consider booking a vacation package where you book your flight and hotel at the same time. You can save a lot of money and you still get to pick your flight and hotel so there is no reason not to do it. You may even have some cash left over for vacation souvenirs!

• Staycations Sound Lame, But… – I’m in two weddings back-to-back this summer. This was going to cut into my travel budget big time with all of the dresses and showers until I realized that the wedding rate for the Ritz Carlton Hotel was so cheap there was no way we could not turn it into a staycation. Thinking of vacations a little differently has landed my friends and me poolside for a weekend.
  
  

So where are you going this summer? And what are your savings secrets? Let us know!