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Summer travel trends for 2024
Excerpt from Seattle Times
Summer 2024 travel “will be expensive in every way,” says Katherine Knorr. And she should know that too.
She is planning a two-week adventure to Europe in June, starting with a marathon flight from Honolulu to Zurich, where she will speak at a conference. Then she hopscotches across Europe to Vienna and then to the Olympics. She plans to stay in Nantes, France to watch a soccer game, Lille to watch a basketball game, and Paris to watch gymnastics, boxing, and swimming.
In the end, despite her best efforts, including flying economy class and staying in the cheapest hotels, it ends up being a five-digit setback.
“No matter how much you try to save money, traveling is expensive,” says Noah, a Honolulu-based lawyer. “But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.”
Summer travelers are looking for exciting and expensive vacations
Noah is part of a wave of travelers making big plans for this summer. The itinerary is exciting, but expensive.
As we head into the summer travel season, nearly every barometer of travel appetite increases. Inflation and unemployment are low, consumer sentiment and curiosity are high, and summer 2024 will see an unprecedented level of interest in travel.
“We're seeing an uptick in bookings,” said Susan Schellen, who runs the travel agency Couture Trips. “Unfortunately, prices for hotels, tours, and flights aren't going down. So if you're planning on traveling this summer, make sure you're willing to shell out a little extra.”
According to travel agencies, reservations for the summer are flooding in.
What will the prices be this summer?
It depends where you go. Good news for those traveling within the United States. Flight and hotel prices are a little cheaper than last summer. But elsewhere it is rising. The breakdown is as follows:
- Airfares vary. Round-trip domestic airfares in the summer average $325 per ticket, down 5% from last year, according to travel platform Hopper. Flights to Europe are also cheaper. It fell 12% from last year to $1,012. However, flights to South America rose 4% and flights to Canada rose 5%. If you head south of the border, you'll pay an average of $759, and if you head north, you'll pay $430.
- U.S. hotel prices are falling. Domestically, prices fell 7% to an average of $304 per night. International prices rose 2% to $314 per night, Kayak said.
- Rental car prices are rising. The average price for a domestic rental car rose 10% this summer to $113 per day, according to Kayak. Last summer, prices fell by 14% after the rental car shortage eased. Overseas, rates increase by his 3%, averaging $88 per day.
Click here to read the complete article. seattle times.
