When you’ve thought about taking a vacation over the past year, did you feel: A deep sense of longing? Confusion about travel restrictions and quarantine rules? Fear of catching a potentially deadly virus. All the above?
You’re not alone. The number of Americans travelling took a nosedive when the pandemic hit. Cruise lines shut down, hotel occupancy dropped, and global air traffic fell by 66% from 2019 — the sharpest decline in aviation history, according to the International Air Transport Association.
But now with the widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., many people are opting to getaway. And the travel industry is welcoming them back with discounts and deals.
In fact, it’s never been easier to fly without breaking the bank. “We are awash in cheap flights,” says travel expert Scott Keyes, author of ‘Take More Vacations: How to Search Better, Book Cheaper, and Travel the World’. “Domestic flights have gotten cheaper than they were pre-pandemic. There are still international deals, too.”
Here’s what to expect as you plan your post-pandemic vacation:
You should be able to save on airfare.
Most passengers right now are leisure travelers, not business travelers. Because vacation is, by definition, optional, airlines are forced to price flights competitively.There’s no shortage of websites to help you search for flights. It can be overwhelming, but keep in mind that sites like Orbitz, Kayak, Travelocity, and Expedia generally all find the same prices, so use the site you’re most comfortable with. Google Flights is a great basic option if you know where you want to go. Skyscanner, a frequent travelers’ favorite, features destinations that have cheaper-than-average flights from the U.S. on any given day.
Once you’re ready to search, keep in mind: There is no cheapest day or time to book flights. That’s a myth, as fares can and do change by the minute. There is, however, some strategy involved in when to fly.
“Generally speaking, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday are the cheapest days to travel,” says Keyes. “The cheapest times of the year are usually January through March and October to November, setting aside Thanksgiving.” But that doesn’t mean these times are always cheapest.
There are more cheap lodging options than ever.
Airbnb remains popular, but there’s also Booking.com and Agoda.com (which is strongest for travel in Asia). These sites offer deals on hotels, private homes, hostels, and more. Some discounts are massive — 70% off or more — so if you’re flexible on destination, you can save big on an exotic getaway.Check for direct flights, even if they didn’t exist before.
Since the pandemic, many travelers prefer direct flights to limit potential exposure. That’s led to a shift toward point-to-point flying instead of the traditional “hub and spoke” model, says Keyes, founder of Scott’s Cheap Flights, a deal-search service with nearly 2 million subscribers. For example, you can now fly from a relatively small city like Dayton, Ohio, direct to destinations like Punta Gorda, Florida. So if a route from your airport wasn’t available before the pandemic, check again.Consider exploring the great outdoors.
The only U.S. state with more flights in and out now than in 2019? Montana. To get away without giving up social distancing, RV life has major appeal. You can do so with no need to buy your own vehicle by using the websites Outdoorsy and RVshare.com. These peer-to-peer rental marketplaces let you rent an RV the way you would an Airbnb property.RV rentals skyrocketed early in the pandemic and remain high: In April, they were up 846% from the same time last year. Summer bookings “are already flooding in by the thousands,” says RVshare CEO Jon Gray. “We are bullish about our future.”
The U.S. National Parks also got a boost in popularity from COVID-19. “To the extent travel has existed during the pandemic, it’s been to outdoor destinations like national parks,” says Keyes, who adds that a desire to remain socially distant during the time of a highly contagious airborne virus is “a great excuse to see some of those iconic places right in our backyard.”
For help deciding which of the country’s more than 400 parks to explore, FindYourPark.com has a handy Parkfinder, which allows you to plan your trip by filtering categories like location and interest (from historical places to stargazing and canoeing).
Cruises are launching a comeback.
Major cruise lines stymied by the U.S. shutdown are getting creative and embarking from locales outside the U.S., including the Caribbean, United Kingdom, and Israel. Expect heightened safety protocols and lower passenger loads, added amenities, and off-season discounts. The website cruise sheet .com can help you find the latest deals.International travel is not dead.
Travel abroad remains more uncertain than domestic, given the ever-changing COVID-19 situation. But some European countries, including Greece and Croatia, are reopening, and airlines are pouncing. Icelandair celebrated that country’s reopening in April with $349 roundtrip tickets from North America. That fare is gone but expect the deals to keep coming.Most people don’t have time to do lots of leg work searching for great prices. That’s why travel junkie Keyes created Scott’s Cheap Flights after an incredible trip from New York City to Milan for $130 roundtrip in 2013. The service’s team of experts (humans, not robots) search for you and email you whenever there’s an amazing deal from your preferred airports.
Most deals are 40% to 90% off normal prices, including so-called “mistake fares,” when an airline sells a ticket for significantly less than intended. Last year, mistake fares allowed members to book roundtrip tickets from Boston to Puerto Rico on JetBlue for $23 and from Atlanta to Santiago, Chile, for $63!
Deals come in many forms.
Regardless of nightly rate, companies are finding ways to add value, says Chris Atkins, owner of Central America Fishing, a luxury travel agency that arranges customized fishing vacations to Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, and Guatemala. For example, for travel during the Central American low season (May to November), Atkins says fishing lodges are sweetening deals with specials like “Spouses Fish Free” and spa or meal credits.Essential Planning Tips
Use those vouchers!
Consumers are sitting on an estimated $10 billion in flight vouchers as a result of pandemic travel disruptions. If you’re one of them, find your voucher and read the fine print rather than looking on the airline’s website. (Some airlines have multiple types of vouchers.) Check the expiration date — must you book by then or travel by then? — and whether it’s transferable. If you aren’t satisfied, call customer service.“Airlines are far more accommodating with extension requests than many people realize,” says Keyes. “Airline agents have a lot of discretion. If someone says no, hang up, and call again.”
Shop around and be ready to pull the trigger.
Airfares are volatile and can vary widely from day to day. A classic mistake is finding a deal and sitting on it in hopes of discovering an even better one. If you see a price you like, buy it. (U.S. airlines are required to offer full refunds within 24 hours if you booked directly with the airline at least seven days before the departure date, in which case you have time after the purchase to figure out whether you can make the trip work.)Read the fine print on cancellation.
Many companies are offering flexible cancellation and rebooking policies. Some aren’t. Don’t get caught with a booking that can’t be changed or refunded at little or no cost. Many airlines now allow you to change tickets with no penalty, but that flexibility does not extend to cancellations unless you buy a fully refundable fare.Keep up on latest CDC guidelines and local regulations.
Some countries require proof of vaccination, or a negative COVID-19 test for entry. Others, like the Dominican Republic, require nothing. Rules for reentry to the U.S. can change anytime, so know before you book and check frequently before traveling.Flip the script on planning.
Typically, when booking a flight, people decide where and when they want to go, then look at airfares. If you want to find travel deals, reverse the process. Ask yourself: Where are there cheap flights available? Of those, which interests me the most? When could I go?This reversal can take patience and quite a bit of time to pull off. Scott’s Cheap Flights does all the legwork for you. The site offers a free limited subscription or a $49/year premium membership. The premium membership delivers a higher volume of deals.
On Google Flights, you can click “explore” in the top left field of the home page and search for the best deals to anywhere in the world from your home airport. You may narrow by time frame and trip duration (“I want to go for two weeks anytime in the next four months” or “I want to go for a weekend in September”).
On Skyscanner, you can enter “explore everywhere” as your destination, rather than locale, to optimize for price, and explore all the lowest prices available during your chosen window from your airport to anywhere in the world.
Thinking outside the box helps, too. Let’s say Paris is your dream vacation and the cheapest flight from your airport during the time you can travel is $800, but tickets to Amsterdam during that period are $00.
What about taking an inexpensive inter-Europe flight or train from Amsterdam to Paris after a day or two of exploring the Dutch capital? Or could you fly out of a less convenient airport? (You live near Philadelphia, but it’s $500 cheaper to fly from Washington, D.C., so you fly D.C. to Paris after taking a $40 Amtrak Acela train from Philly, saving $460.)
“By setting the price as the top priority,” says Keyes, “you get much cheaper tickets.”
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