Summer seems light years away, especially when you are stuck in the middle of the frozen tundra, with another 10 plus inches of snow headed your way in the next 24 hours.
Sigh! Such is life in Wisconsin.
Still, if you are looking to save on summer travel, now is the time to get planning. Never mind that the nighttime lows are in single digits and your lawn is buried under a foot of dirty snow. Experts are adamant that early birds will get the worm when it comes to scoring super summer travel savings. Of course, you need to know where to look before you can strike first.
According to travel experts, to find the best deals on summer travel, it’s best to sign up for airline loyalty programs. In addition, make use of social media. Sources such as email, Twitter and Facebook can alert you to special savings on airfare and hotel rooms.
Another money-saving tip is to plan air travel on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, as mid-week flights are typically priced lower than ones departing on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
The bad news is that even if you fly mid-week you will still be shelling out more for airfare than last summer. Experts say the rise in jet fuel prices and the cost of labor have forced airlines to jack up prices for summer travel.
According to the Air Transport Association, fuel prices have risen nearly 50 percent in the past year, as oil prices have climbed. Add that to the Federal Aviation Administration’s prediction that even more people will travel in 2011 than last year, and you have the recipe for sky-high airfare.
In a recent report, the FAA estimated that passengers on U.S. airlines will pay 2 percent more for domestic flights and 5 percent more for international trips this year than in 2010. What’s more, commercial carriers are continuing to add surcharges of $20 to $60 per round trip on peak travel days during the summer months, which means that regardless of where you plan to escape to this summer you will likely be digging deep to do so.
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