Taking a nice summer vacation is a privilege and joy. But unfortunately, the state of summer travel last year had some … nightmarish elements, to say the least.Will the scourge of mass cancellations, shockingly long lines, high prices and the general chaos of 2022 be destined to repeat in 2023, or will things be different? As this week marked the official start of the summer travel season, we asked travel experts to share their predictions.AdvertisementTravel appetites remain large.“No matter how you spin the data, one thing is clear: Summer travel is going to be off the charts this year,” said Sarah Firshein, head of editorial at Tripadvisor. “There’s an appetite and enthusiasm not seen since before the pandemic.”She pointed to a recent Tripadvisor survey that found that 82% of U.S. users plan to travel in some form within the next three months. Meanwhile, an Expedia report indicated that 81% of travelers globally intend to travel the same amount or more in summer 2023 compared to last year, and travel information site The Vacationer found a 5% increase in the number of Americans who plan to travel this summer versus in 2022.“Summer travel is officially back,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “While it has been slowly recovering over the past few years, 2023 is going to closely resemble pre-pandemic years. According to TSA checkpoint travel numbers, many days in 2023 are seeing more passengers than the same day in 2019.”Expect delays, cancellations and long lines.With more air passengers comes a higher chance of encountering air travel headaches like delays, cancellations and chaotically long lines.Advertisement“Unfortunately, I think flight cancellations and delays are going to be an issue again this summer,” Dengler said. “Airlines have still not fully replenished their supply of pilots after the pandemic, and travel demand is higher than ever.”Labor strikes have also disrupted travelers’ plans this year, which will likely continue into the summer. “While there is nothing you can do to completely prevent a flight interruption, you can do things like booking the earliest flight of the day and avoiding low-cost carriers that frequently experience delays and cancellations,” Dengler noted. “Flights taking off before 8 a.m. are much less likely to experience an interruption like a cancellation or major delay than those taking off later in the day. While no one wants to start their summer vacation tired, it is much better than the alternative.”He also recommended flying on less busy days like Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday when possible. That way you, can reduce your odds of a cancellation or delay, which could mean losing a day or two of your planned vacation. baona via Getty ImagesWith travel demand still skyrocketing and concerns about staff shortages, experts are predicting another summer of airport chaos. Advertisement“Tackle delays and cancellations like a pro by downloading your travel apps so you can make changes to your booking, receive flight delay notifications and have all your itinerary details at your fingertips,” advised Expedia travel expert Melanie Fish. “If delayed, be sure to notify your car rental agency so you don’t miss your pick-up window.”She also recommended arriving at the airport a little earlier than you might normally and urged travelers to pack their patience.“There will be long lines at check-in and security, so you’ll want to re-up on Clear or TSA PreCheck,” Fish said. “Arrive at least two hours before your boarding time for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.”Travelers are setting their sights on new destinations in Europe and Asia.“Many more people are traveling overseas this summer due to no more lingering pandemic restrictions,” Dengler said. “With no more testing and vaccine requirements, it is much easier to travel the world. Expect this trend to continue through the holiday season.”After years of closed borders and other limitations, American travelers are looking to explore more destinations in the Asian travel market.Advertisement“Although domestic travel will dominate this summer, we’re also seeing exciting spikes in interest in destinations like the Maldives, Japan and Hong Kong,” Firshein said. International hotel searches are up by more than 300% on the Hotels.com app compared …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnTaking a nice summer vacation is a privilege and joy. But unfortunately, the state of summer travel last year had some … nightmarish elements, to say the least.Will the scourge of mass cancellations, shockingly long lines, high prices and the general chaos of 2022 be destined to repeat in 2023, or will things be different? As this week marked the official start of the summer travel season, we asked travel experts to share their predictions.AdvertisementTravel appetites remain large.“No matter how you spin the data, one thing is clear: Summer travel is going to be off the charts this year,” said Sarah Firshein, head of editorial at Tripadvisor. “There’s an appetite and enthusiasm not seen since before the pandemic.”She pointed to a recent Tripadvisor survey that found that 82% of U.S. users plan to travel in some form within the next three months. Meanwhile, an Expedia report indicated that 81% of travelers globally intend to travel the same amount or more in summer 2023 compared to last year, and travel information site The Vacationer found a 5% increase in the number of Americans who plan to travel this summer versus in 2022.“Summer travel is officially back,” said Phil Dengler, co-founder of The Vacationer. “While it has been slowly recovering over the past few years, 2023 is going to closely resemble pre-pandemic years. According to TSA checkpoint travel numbers, many days in 2023 are seeing more passengers than the same day in 2019.”Expect delays, cancellations and long lines.With more air passengers comes a higher chance of encountering air travel headaches like delays, cancellations and chaotically long lines.Advertisement“Unfortunately, I think flight cancellations and delays are going to be an issue again this summer,” Dengler said. “Airlines have still not fully replenished their supply of pilots after the pandemic, and travel demand is higher than ever.”Labor strikes have also disrupted travelers’ plans this year, which will likely continue into the summer. “While there is nothing you can do to completely prevent a flight interruption, you can do things like booking the earliest flight of the day and avoiding low-cost carriers that frequently experience delays and cancellations,” Dengler noted. “Flights taking off before 8 a.m. are much less likely to experience an interruption like a cancellation or major delay than those taking off later in the day. While no one wants to start their summer vacation tired, it is much better than the alternative.”He also recommended flying on less busy days like Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday when possible. That way you, can reduce your odds of a cancellation or delay, which could mean losing a day or two of your planned vacation. baona via Getty ImagesWith travel demand still skyrocketing and concerns about staff shortages, experts are predicting another summer of airport chaos. Advertisement“Tackle delays and cancellations like a pro by downloading your travel apps so you can make changes to your booking, receive flight delay notifications and have all your itinerary details at your fingertips,” advised Expedia travel expert Melanie Fish. “If delayed, be sure to notify your car rental agency so you don’t miss your pick-up window.”She also recommended arriving at the airport a little earlier than you might normally and urged travelers to pack their patience.“There will be long lines at check-in and security, so you’ll want to re-up on Clear or TSA PreCheck,” Fish said. “Arrive at least two hours before your boarding time for domestic flights and three hours for international flights.”Travelers are setting their sights on new destinations in Europe and Asia.“Many more people are traveling overseas this summer due to no more lingering pandemic restrictions,” Dengler said. “With no more testing and vaccine requirements, it is much easier to travel the world. Expect this trend to continue through the holiday season.”After years of closed borders and other limitations, American travelers are looking to explore more destinations in the Asian travel market.Advertisement“Although domestic travel will dominate this summer, we’re also seeing exciting spikes in interest in destinations like the Maldives, Japan and Hong Kong,” Firshein said. International hotel searches are up by more than 300% on the Hotels.com app compared …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
