It’s the countdown to summer vacation 2023 and air travel will be soaring to new heights not seen since before the pandemic.
“This is the first time that we’re really seeing numbers exceed in a sequential amount of months through TSA,” said Katy Nastro, a travel expert with Going.com. “So, that means that we’ve really normalized, and people are looking to get back to their regularly scheduled summer trips.”
According to TripAdvisor, 82% of Americans plan to travel domestically this year. Cities like Orlando, New York and Las Vegas continue to dominate as summer hot spots.
“We’re seeing in places like Nashville, Miami, that usually are a little bit more seasonal — we’re actually seeing them be destinations that people are taking advantage of all year-round,” said Nastro, “They [people] may be looking at taking a city escape where versus going abroad this summer, due to the fact that things feel more expensive, as well as passport wait times are up.”
Those passport delays are no joke. Last winter, the State Department received more than half a million applications — a record for that time of year, which exceeded official projections.
As of late March, travelers waited 10 to 13 weeks for a passport.
And travel outside of the U.S. is spiking. Wendy Marley is a travel counselor with AAA.
“International travel is up 200% from last year. People are definitely looking to get out there and have new experiences. They want to go see the world. You know, just kind of have more authentic connections with the rest of the world,” said Marley.
London is the most popular international destination this year — a 350% increase over the last year according to AAA data.
Mexico remains a popular vacation spot. However, the U.S. State Department has issued travel advisories for 30 of Mexico’s 32 states. At least six are listed under “Do Not Travel.”
Travelers are also booking flights to Asia and the Caribbean.
“Cities are becoming more popular. Rural, still very popular. People are looking for trips where they can unpack just once,” said Marley. “River cruising, as well as ocean cruising has also increased over last year. They are just they’re looking to get out there any way that they can, whether it’s with a guided trip, letting the experts lead the way, but mostly just wanting to explore.”
According to a TripAdvisor survey, nearly half of respondents are planning to travel more this season than they did last year, with two-thirds planning to take at least two trips this year. TripAdvisor is also seeing a big increase in family travel and found more than half of Americans plan to spend more on their biggest trip compared to last year.
“I think everybody is just excited to get out and explore what’s in their backyard,” said Marley. “If they don’t feel comfortable going abroad or just want to stay closer to home.”
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