Revenge trips are so in the past.
“It’s not necessarily just about leaving the house anymore,” said Sydney Stanback, Global Trends and Insights Lead at Pinterest, which saw more than 1 billion travel searches and more than 10 billion trips saved last year.
Of course, many of the usual suspects are once again among the most popular destinations on several search engines this year, but she said this summer, “It’s more about traveling with intention.”
According to NerdWallet’s 2024 Summer Travel Report, 45% of Americans plan to take a trip that requires a hotel stay or flight this summer, with average expenses just under $3,600. A fifth of these travelers expect to take on debt to pay for their vacation.
Here’s what to consider when booking a summer trip, including where to go, when to travel and how to save:
To know more: Best travel insurance
Where is the best place to travel in the summer?
The answer is subjective, especially this summer.
“Everyone chooses their own adventure based on their travel needs,” Stanback said.
Pinterest’s Summer 2024 Travel Report found that summer travelers are most interested in adventure, exploring mysterious or unfamiliar destinations, and resting. Searches for “quiet life” increased by 530%, but that doesn’t mean the same thing for everyone.
“Actually, my mom just went on a yoga retreat in Panama,” Stanback said. “That’s what she needed to do to get the rest she needed and the well-being she needed. But for me, when I think about rest and recovery, I just think about going to a spa on the beach and just sitting and being alone.”
Solo trips remain popular. Individual travel searches hit an all-time high on Google in January, but again, not for everyone.
“Specifically for Gen Z, that need is to come together and reconnect with their community because they have been isolated for so long and during very significant times in their lives,” Stanback said. She noted that group travel and road trips are of great interest to Gen Z.
“It’s not necessarily about traveling and going out and going to restaurants and bars and clubs,” she added. “In fact, we see this a lot in younger generations. They’re moving away from that and really considering their well-being when they’re taking time off.”
Where do most tourists go in the summer?
Expedia’s Summer Outlook and Google Flights identified the same cities among the most searched destinations for summer 2024 based on flights, although rankings varied by platform.
Top 5 domestic destinations
◾ New York
◾Orlando, Florida
◾Los Angeles
◾Las Vegas
◾Seattle
Top 5 international destinations
◾ London
◾ Cancun, Mexico
◾ Rome
◾ Tokyo
◾ Paris, host of the Summer Olympics
Allianz Partners found slightly different results in its analysis of “more than six million flight itineraries for trips between five and eight days in length for trips booked between Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day.”
Instead of Los Angeles and Vegas, Allianz named Boston and Honolulu among its top five domestic destinations this summer. Internationally, San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; Oranjestad, Aruba; and Punta Cana, in the Dominican Republic, were in Allianz’s top five, instead of Rome, Paris and Tokyo.
“I expect crowds to rival those of last summer in popular cities abroad,” said Melanie Fish, a travel expert at Expedia, noting how places like Barcelona and Venice are trying to curb overtourism. “They’re trying to charge fees, and if that’s not enough, they’re going to have to go even further.”
How can I save on a trip?
Summer travel is already expensive for many travelers. “Americans with household incomes under $100,000 accounted for nearly half (46%) of intended leisure travel spending in summer 2023,” according to Deloitte’s upcoming April report, Facing travel.
Expedia’s Fish shared five tips for booking a 2024 summer vacation:
◾ Combine your trip. Booking a plane ticket and a hotel at the same time can yield big discounts.
◾ Travel mid-week or late summer, if that’s an option. You’ll save money and avoid facing crowds.
- ◾ Fly early… Early birds who board the first flight of the day will usually get a better price and less chance of delays and cancellations. ◾ Book once, earn twice. You can collect rewards from your travel credit card (and) your airline.◾ Just go. Don’t pressure yourself into creating the trip of a lifetime… Do it in bite-sized chunks if possible.
‘Expensive in every way’:What travelers should expect this summer
How far in advance should I book the trip?
“The sweet spot is now,” Fish said. “We are within the 21-60 day pre-travel window to save about 15% on airfare, so now is the time to plan. That means ready, set, but maybe wait until August to really start.”
She said travelers can save an average of $250 on international flights if they wait until the peak summer travel season passes.
“It is 15% cheaper on average to fly domestically in August compared to June, 30% cheaper to fly to Europe in late summer and 55% cheaper to fly to Mexico and the Caribbean in August,” she said. “Of course, August is the peak of hurricane season, so that has something to do with the drop in prices.”
