Summer Travel Options

With airfare at record level highs, let’s discuss options for less crowded international destinations, and domestic road trips.

Also, read the NYTimes piece A Flight Attendant’s 12 Etiquette Rules

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According to CNBC, Airline ticket prices are up 25%, outpacing inflation. In the last year, the consumer price index for airline tickets has shot up by the largest jump since the Federal Reserve of St. Louis began tracking the index in 1989. In April alone, airfares spiked 18.6%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Regardless of soaring prices, Americans aren’t hesitating to break out their credit cards and book a trip. A recent Bank of America Institute survey showed spending at airlines and travel agencies is up a whopping 60% year-over-year. At the same time, as Americans continue to grapple with 40-year high inflation rates and resource-strapped airlines work to get more planes in the air, traveling on a budget seems to be nearly impossible.

We have seen versions of this before, and while I prefer Spring and Autumn travel for better deals, I understand that for many - especially with kids on school break - the summer is still the best options. So here are some alternate options to consider.

International

Europe is always a top summer destinations (although there are certainly spectacular places everywhere, it is just peak weather season in the EU), but the expense this year is wild (Watch this TikTok by Travel + Leisure’s Editor-in-chief about it). If you are still determined to go, then perhaps going for longer and renting private home vs hotels, which will be very pricey, and look for less expensive (but just as wonderful) options. Consider these, based on Travel News rankings: Porto (Portugual), Prague (Czech Republic), Valenica (Spain), Budapest (Hungry), Athens (Greece), Istanbul (Turkey), Dubrovnik (Croatia), Lisbon (Portugual), Seville (Spain), Tallinn (Estonia), Corfu (Greece), Malta, Granada (Spain), Reykjavik (Iceland), Vienna (Austria), Berlin (Germany), Zagreb (Croatia), Split (Croatia), Galway (Ireland), Ljubljana (Slovenia), Sofia (Bulgaria). Asia, Africa and the Middle East can have very hot temperatures in the summer, so it may be best to visit at a more ideal season - same with central and south America.

Domestic

Let’s face it, North America has spectacular summer weather and national parks galore to explore. Road Trips are the way to go, with more vacation rentals (VRBO, Airbnb) and outdoor stays (HipCamp, Autocamp, Collective Retreats, Outdoorsy) than ever. It’s the perfect time to group some of your favorite states and enjoy the great outdoors, and small towns to big cities. While The South is entirely too hot in the summer, everywhere else is perfect for the season.

Also, I may be biased, but Canada is fantastic in the summer - from the west coast (British Columbia: Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Tofino, Okanagan+ and Alberta: Banff, Camrose. Jasper, Calgary Stampede+), to the many summer festivals in Toronto, Stratford, and Montreal out east, or further east still to the Maritime provinces.

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