It’s only February, but traveler Tia Barnes said her summer flights are already booked.
"If you book your flight way ahead in the winter and plan on traveling in the summer, it might be a little bit cheaper,” Barnes said.
Travel agents agree that booking sooner than later is one of the best ways to save on a summer vacation.
Jerry Katz, owner of First Discount Travel, says demand will only grow as summer approaches.
“Post-pandemic, it's just been a straight curve up,” he said.
Where and when to go for lower prices
Katz suggests off-season travel, such as to Mexico in the summer or a cruise in the fall, to save money.
He also suggests looking for destinations served by discount airlines like Southwest, Allegiant or Frontier. Katz explained that lower airfares help drive down the cost of all flights to that region, even those offered by legacy airlines.
"The Caribbean and Mexico are great,” Katz said, “a lot of low-cost carriers have started to go into the Caribbean."
For instance, Frontier Airlines is launching direct service to the Dominican Republicfrom Cincinnati, Cleveland, Tampa and other cities this spring.
NerdWallet travel expert Sally French suggests booking domestic travel, not just flights, at least one to three months in advance.
"A lot of people budget their entire trip around just airfare, and often that's not what the trip is about,” French said.
Watch as our travel agents show you when to book your summer trip:
She recommends that travelers consider hotel rooms and rental car prices and availability.
"You might find an amazing airfare alert, and you get this amazing $400 international flight, but then suddenly you find that the rental cars are super expensive. There aren't hotels in that area,” French said.
She suggests opting for flexible booking policies that allow you to cancel and rebook if the price drops closer to your departure date.
Wait till late summer if you can
Lastly, Katz said you will find much lower prices if you can wait until late August for a summer trip.
"Always a less expensive time to travel, especially as everyone is going back to school,” Katz said.
With flights filling up, traveler Gina Eagen isn’t waiting to book.
"I usually book two to three months early, even longer sometimes,” she said.
That way, you get summer savings early and don't waste your money.
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