Need an escape?
You’re not the only one.
Travel has surged post-COVID, occasionally causing vacation complications. The increased tourism has stressed airlines and travelers’ pocketbooks — and some countries are even limiting the number of visitors to their most popular attractions.
However, three local longtime travel agents are offering tips for making your next getaway as easy and stress-free as possible. They also have some suggestions on travel destinations you might seek to explore.
Expect high prices, plan ahead and be flexible
Jim Ehehalt, a travel agent for more than 20 years with Brookside Travel in Novi, says travel costs have increased 25 to 50 percent since COVID-19. However, despite the initial sticker shock, the pent-up demand for travel from the past few years has people forging ahead.
For those who want a deal, he recommends booking well ahead of when you want to travel (as the author of this article did for a Hawaii trip).
“You won’t find a last-minute deal, that doesn’t work any more,” Ehehalt said. “You have to have something always on the book, a trip that you are looking forward to. People should be looking right now for 2024, some are doing 2025.”
Sheri Langwald, travel agent with World of Travel in Bloomfield Township, recommends being flexible to save money: Take a five-day trip instead of seven days, or take the garden view at a hotel instead of the ocean view, or an inner cabin on a cruise ship instead of a balcony room.
Timing is everything
When you go matters. If at all possible, avoid scheduling your trip during Christmas, New Year’s, spring break or the height of summer or you’ll pay for it both financially and in crowds.
Langwald notes a family of four trying to book right now for Mexico in February or for a mid-winter break can expect to pay about $14,000 for flights and resorts for a week.
While few travelers may want to go to Alaska in winter, or to the Caribbean during late summer and fall due to hurricane season, there are “off season” times that are still good weather with less tourists.
Langwald recommends traveling in January for a warm weather cruise or all-inclusive tropical resort, and in April and May or September and October for locations like Europe and Alaska.
“You won’t have the crazy crowds of people, because most kids are still in school,” she said. “The weather is not as hot and it’s a better value, but will still be nice.”
A few hot takes on cool places to go and a few to maybe forgo
Choosing your location is half the fun.
Travelers are enchanted with Europe, including Italy and the eternal city of Rome, but also increasingly with Greece, which has been popular for cruising between islands.
Iceland, once a “best-kept secret,” has also maintained popularity and Langwald said Croatia is up and coming the last few years, but still not as crazy as Italy or Greece. She also recommends Ireland as a beautiful country.
But there are other locations in Europe that have become overrun with tourists and where people may find a crimp in plans.
Those places include Venice, where large cruise ships have been banned from the lagoon; Amsterdam, where Dutch officials recently won the right to order a reduction of flights at the main airport by 12 percent — from 500,000 per year to 460,000; Peru, where the number of tourists allowed to visit Machu Picchu is limited to preserve the 15th century Incan site; and Hawaii, which is limiting the number of people in certain parks.
“There is just over-tourism of those places and a lot of other destinations,” Shelly Diehr, manager of Milford Travel Service, said. “There will be some more changes in the next several years of countries limiting tourism. They are making adjustments because they want to keep these places nice.”
This will require more planning and reservations, but is unlike locations that the U.S. Department of State advises against travel to for safety reasons.
Locations that are not as heavily traveled for reasons such as the finances and physical fitness required, but are extraordinary for those seeking adventure include Antarctica (although the price tag for this can be very extra, as these Birmingham men know firsthand), Africa and the Galapagos Islands.
Langwald, who has more than two decades experience as a travel agent, said her favorite places in the world are Kenya and Tanzania, where she experienced an amazing African safari she would do again despite the trip’s cost of about $20,000 for her and her significant other.
She reminisces about that trip, recalling that after they had sat in a Jeep watching cheetahs for 20 minutes, their guide asked if they were ready to go.
“The answer was no,” Langwald laughs. “We could have stayed there for hours.”
Road trip still a great way to travel
But Langwald said for those who are looking for a less expensive option, fantastic, awe-inspiring vacations can be had right here in “this beautiful country of ours” for less money, by taking road trips and camping or staying at motels.
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Diehr agrees, but advises booking reservations at U.S. national parks a year in advance and also mapping out how many hours per day you want to drive.
“Hit fun things, too,” she said. “Don’t just go point A to point B. If it’s a half hour off the highway, take the time to do it and enjoy it.”
A few more tips before departure for a smooth adventure
If traveling internationally, make sure you have your passport and it is valid. If you don’t have a passport, routine processing can take several months. If you have a passport that you obtained when you were 16 or older, it is good for 10 years, but some countries, including the U.S., require they be valid for six months beyond the dates of your trip. Make two copies of your passport and credit card and take one with you and leave one at home with a family member or friend.
Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) with the U.S. Department of State. This free service allows the U.S. Embassy to contact you and provide assistance during an emergency overseas. Additionally, leave a copy of your itinerary with a loved one so they know where you are.
Consider travel insurance. It’s a great thing to have in uncertain times and can cover expenses if a trip gets canceled, or if you suffer a medical emergency overseas.
Travel with a credit card with no foreign transaction fees — and make sure the credit card company knows the dates you are traveling.
Don’t pack your jewelry or pills in your luggage, put them in your carry-on, along with a change of clothing in case your suitcase gets lost.
If you’re taking a cruise, fly into the location where the ship is departing from a day or two early.
Be flexible. Travel is rarely without hiccups.
Most importantly, remember you may never pass this way again.
Enjoyment of the overall travel experience is key, the travel agents all agree, and tourists are ready to unlock the wonders of the world after pandemic confinement.
“I think its spillover from COVID — people really want to travel,” Langwald said. “It’s a crazy world and we only live once. Let’s book the trips we want to do. People put them off for a while and COVID made people rethink their lives and what is important.”
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Contact reporter Susan Bromley at [email protected] or 517-281-2412. Follow her on Twitter @SusanBromley10.
