WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The summer travel season is approaching, and higher airfares and gas prices are making vacation planning more difficult for many travelers.
Airlines are already adjusting their pricing ahead of the busy season.
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"We're already seeing airlines raising air fares by 10 and 20 percent," said Clint Henderson, managing editor of news at The Points Guy travel website.
For travelers planning international trips, the sticker shock is real. One traveler heading overseas told WPTV on Tuesday that the costs are becoming something they have learned to accept.
"We're going to Ireland for a month in the summer," the traveler said.
"Do you worry about air fares?" WPTV consumer reporter Matt Sczesny asked the traveler.
"You know, I'm starting to get used to it at this stage," the traveler told WPTV.
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Henderson said flexibility is one of the most powerful tools available to budget-conscious travelers.
"Add flexibility to your schedule, if you can adjust by one or two days on either side of the trip, and you can go to a destination that may be cheaper, you can save a lot of money that way," Henderson said.
For those who have been collecting travel rewards, now may be the right moment to use them.
"I work at The Points Guy, so I will tell you if you've been stockpiling points and miles; now is the time to burn them," Henderson said.
He also offered some tips on finding the best deals to fly this summer, which include using artificial intelligence to score credits if a price drops.
"I'm using A-I to track my flights and getting trip credits when the tickets adjust; this strategy works so long as you don't use basic economy," Henderson said.
He also said the old practices of buying on Tuesdays or deleting web cookies before going on airline websites no longer hold up.
Driving is not offering much relief either.
This summer, Florida approved the use of the winter blend of gas, a less expensive fuel, but rising prices so far in May seem to be countering any savings. Alex Fernandez, the owner of West Palm Gas, described the current pricing environment in stark terms.
"Some people have budgeted, and now they have to adjust their budgets," Alex Fernandez, owner of Southern Gas in West Palm Beach, said. "It's not something we like to see; it doesn’t make us happy."
Travel experts recommend shopping around and comparing prices before finalizing any summer travel plans.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
