TAMPA, Fla. — The summer travel season is here.
People across the country are planning their summer destinations.
However, rising prices are making it harder for families to go on trips.
WATCH Local travel advisor shares latest travel trends, ways to save money on travel
That’s why I sat down with local travel adviser and owner of Prestige Travel Vacations, Lori Judd, to find out some of the biggest travel trends she’s seeing and how to save money.
Judd believes micro-trips are huge this year— meaning going on a trip for a shorter amount of time, even just a weekend.
“It gives people a limited amount of time and a smaller budget. It's the opportunity to travel with multiple trips versus longer trips that cost a little more,” said Lori Judd.
She’s also seeing more wellness-centered trips that focus on intentional travel.
“One of the newest trends, especially for millennials and the younger generation, are going to places that are less tiktoked or instagrammed,” said Judd.
She’s seen the demand for cruises go up, with a range of prices available that can fit many budgets.
“A lot of cruise lines are watching these new travel trends,” said Judd.
When it comes to booking a flight this summer, the recent surge in fuel costs has led to fewer flight routes and higher ticket prices.
If you need to book a flight this summer, set up Google alerts to track ticket prices and re-book if you see prices drop.
Being flexible with your flight is your best bet to save right now.
“Focus not just on dates but destinations and then maybe look at places you can fly out to and out of as well that might be more budget-friendly versus what you’re used to flying out of,” said Judd.
Europe remains a hot spot. Judd recommends traveling there in the shoulder season, like the fall, to save money.
This summer, traveling locally is more popular than ever with America 250.
So consider going on a road trip somewhere in the USA to celebrate the big anniversary.
“Traveling local is going to be easy, breezy, and probably budget-friendly. So you can lean into some of the local towns and supporting your local economies there,” said Judd.
“And look for free events. Because that’s going to be helpful with your budget as well. And we all know this year here in Florida, how blessed are we that we have St. Augustine, which has a lot of historical sites and places to go. So you know that’s going to be one of our popular locations here in Florida,” she added.
Don’t forget to look into travel insurance. It can protect your money if plans change.
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