Summer Travel Trends 2024: More Crowds and Expensive Airfare, Hotels

Excerpted from The Seattle Times

Summer travel in 2024 will be “expensive by all standards,” says Katherine Noor. And she should know.

She is planning a two-week adventure to Europe in June, starting with a marathon flight from Honolulu to Zurich, where she will speak at a conference. Then it moves across Europe – to Vienna, then to the Olympics. I planned to be in Nantes, France, for a soccer match, Lille for basketball, and Paris for gymnastics, boxing, and swimming.

Finally, it will cost her five figures despite her best efforts, which include flying economy and staying in less expensive hotels.

“The trip is expensive, even with my efforts to economize,” says Noor, a lawyer from Honolulu. “But it’s a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.”

Summer travelers pursue exciting and expensive vacations

Nour is part of a wave of travelers making big plans for this summer. Itineraries are exciting and expensive.

Almost every measure of travel intent is ready for the summer travel season. Inflation and unemployment are low, and consumer sentiment and curiosity are high, increasing unprecedented interest in travel during the summer of 2024.

“Bookings are going up,” says Susan Sherin, who runs the company. Couture travels, Travel agency. “Unfortunately, hotel, tour and flight prices are not dropping. So, if you’re planning to hit the road this summer, make sure you’re ready to spend some cash.

Travel companies say they are overwhelmed with summer bookings.

What will the prices be this summer?

It depends on where you go. There’s good news if you’re traveling within the United States: Flights and hotels are a little less expensive than last summer. But they are rising elsewhere. Here’s the breakdown:

• Airline ticket prices are mixed. Round-trip domestic airfares in the summer average $325 per ticket, which is down 5% from last year, according to travel platform Hopper. Flights to Europe are also cheaper. It’s down 12% from a year ago to $1,012. But flights to South America were up 4% and flights to Canada were up 5%. You’ll pay on average $759 to fly south of the border and $430 to head north.
• Hotel prices in the United States are falling. Locally, prices fell 7% to an average of $304 per night. Internationally, rates are up 2% to $314 per night, according to Kayak.
• Car rental prices are rising. Average local car rental rates rose 10% this summer to $113 per day, according to Kayak. Last summer, prices fell by 14% after the car rental shortage ended. Internationally, prices are rising by 3%, reaching an average of $88 per day.

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