KAYAK has released the summer edition of its Travel Hacker Guide revealing information on what's trending in travel. The data, based on searches for summer travel shows Europe as a hot destination this year. Half of the searched destinations for summer travel are in Europe including Milan, Italy; Reykjavik, Iceland; Copenhagen, Denmark; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Madrid, Spain.
The weak euro will make travel to European destinations more affordable according to KAYAK, so it could be a good time to explore a new place such as Paris, Rome, Dublin and Munich.
According to Hipmunk, travel data shows that the best overall deal on European travel from Atlanta is to Madrid. The average airfares is $906 for a savings of more than $500 over the national average. That is the lowest airfare from Atlanta to any Eurozone country.
For deals on international travel outside of Europe, KAYAK reports lower airfares to locations such as Johannesburg, South Africa (15 percent less than it was last summer) and Bangkok, Thailand (16 percent lower than last year). You can see KAYAK's full guide at www.kayak.com/summertravelhacker.
Domestic travel is also expected to offer some of the best travel bargains in a long time, according to Travelzoo.
If you plan to travel by land, hit the road in June when rental car prices are low. KAYAK experts say rental car prices will go up in July. Plan to head to destinations such as Boston, Chicago, the West Coasts (L.A, San Francisco) and Orlando.
According to Travelzoo, New York, Miami, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas will have the best deals on hotels due to four factors: the strong dollar, increased hotel inventory, a surplus of vacation rentals and a decrease in business travel.
Europe-bound Americans will find prices of almost 25 percent off travel to Europe thanks to a stronger dollar, but the flip-side means fewer international travelers coming to the U.S. So popular domestic destinations like New York will have hotels rates up to 50 percent off in some cases. In Las Vegas and New York, the increase in the number of hotel rooms means more supply, less demand equals and deals as high as 75 percent off regular rates.
Hotel rates are also getting competition from the surplus supply of vacation rental homes available in large cities through services such as AirBNB. And finally in summer, with a drop in business travel, hotels in cities that normally have heavy convention traffic, will see a drop during the summer and will subsequently drop rates by up to 60 percent.
Would you prefer to travel closer to home? Here are a few specific deals you can consider to help you save this summer:
Barnsley Resort: The Family Fun Special is available from $285 per night and includes admission for two children in the Explorers Club (ages 5 – 12) for each night's stay from June 1 through August 27. The club helps keep kids entertained with a range of themes. It would normally cost $40 per child. There are many other activities to keep young guests entertained. For additional information about Barnsley Resort or special summer programs, visit www.barnsleyresort.com or call 1-877-773-2447. Barnsley Resort, 597 Barnsley Gardens Road, Adairsville.
South Seas Island Resort on Captiva Island: Get a fourth night free with the resort's "Summer is Heating Up… Just Escape" package. When you book the packages, you get a fourth night free when staying consecutive nights at regular rates. Included in the package is the resort's coupon booklet with over $250 in savings at resort outlets such as on cabana rentals, rounds of seaside golf, water sports, island cruises, spa services, dining, shopping and more. Children 12 and under receive free breakfast with a paying adult. The package is available for travel now through September 30 and is based on a four-night minimum. Blackout dates may apply. For reservations, visit http://www.southseas.com/special-offers-en.html.
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