Summer is the most popular time of year for vacations, and folks everywhere are planning their getaways. Consumer analyst Vera Gibbons joined us in our New York studios to share how you can get the biggest bang for your buck on some of this season’s hottest travel trends.
Roadtripping
With gas prices 46 cents cheaper than they were a year ago, more families will be packing up their cars and hitting the open road. While driving along the many adventure-packed routes, it’s important to be savvy about where to get your gas. “Prices at the pump are always changing. They’re volatile and vary from one gas station to the next,” says Gibbons. To find the best prices, she recommends the free GasBuddy app that pinpoints your location and directs you to the cheapest stations around.
It’s likely that more drivers will be making stops at national parks as it’s the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service this year. To honor this centennial, there will be commemorations and events held at parks throughout the country. Parks are getting a record number of advance reservations, so the sooner you book, the better.
Epic lines at airport security
Because of reduced staffing from federal budget cuts, a busy travel season and efforts to fix screening lapses, you can expect to be in line for hours. To make sure you don’t miss your flight, Gibbons recommends arriving three hours before international flights and two hours before domestic.
The best way to improve your chances of avoiding long lines is to get enrolled in the US Customs and Border Protection’s Global Entry program, which costs $100 for five years and includes PreCheck access, which costs $85 on its own. The application process consists of submitting basic personal information, fingerprints for a background check, and an interview with a customs agent, but you don’t have to worry about filling out those blue customs forms anymore and going through security will be much faster as well—at least until millions of more people sign up and those lines become just as long.
Cold feet
Recent reports of devastating airline crashes, terror attacks in Europe, and worries about the Zika virus all amount to travelers getting cold feet and cancelling their trips left and right. Many Americans are forgoing vacations in Europe and tropical Caribbean islands for less risky destinations.
If you’re worried about any of the above, getting a travel insurance policy on sites like insuremytrip.com or travelguard.com could save you in the long run. But before purchasing additional coverage that could cost anywhere between 4% to 12% of your trip, check with your current credit cards to see what they already offer so you’re not paying anything more than you need to.
Dollar-strong destinations
To take advantage of the strong US dollar, some of the hottest destinations for travel this summer include countries like Peru, Argentina, Turkey and Norway. But the winner that’s top-of-mind for many Americans is Canada. It’s clean, safe, family-friendly, and a third of the population can easily drive there. “With the value of the Canadian dollar as weak as it is, you can expect to save 25% to 35% off shopping, restaurants and activities,” says Gibbons.
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