Despite a down economy and rising fuel prices, millions of Americans plan to travel this summer.
Many will find a growing number of travel bargains for dream destinations. The Travel Industry Association (TIA) reports that Americans are expected to take more than 327 million leisure trips during June, July and August of 2008. This represents only a slight decline over last summer, down between 1 and 1.5 percent. That decline, however slight, has created bargains to destinations worldwide for the summer.
According to AAA's Leisure Travel Index, the average rate for a AAA Three Diamond hotel room in July 2008 is $136 in Honolulu/Waikiki, $259 in Maui, $256 in New York City, $160 in Washington, D.C., $138 in Las Vegas, and $193 in San Francisco. Travel packages offer additional opportunities to save. Combining airfare and hotel stay in one package can provide significant savings as noted by some of the examples below. In some cases extras such as transportation from the airport or some meals will be included as well.
Additional opportunities for savings include traveling during off-peak times, taking advantage of discounts and booking early.
