Here's why you shouldn't wait to book your summer vacation:

As the first day of spring approaches, it's time to start thinking about summer vacation.

It may seem premature to begin making firm travel plans for the months of June, July, and August. Pent-up travel demand, combined with current staffing shortages, lower air loads, and limited availability, could result in a perfect storm of summer sellouts.

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A Tripadvisor representative stated that increased demand for hotels and flights is likely to result in higher prices as more destinations reopen and remove COVID-19 test requirements.

The travel app Hopper predicts that domestic airfare prices will "increase 7% monthly through June" and international airfare prices will "could increase on average about 5% each month until June." This is true even if you are able to secure your preferred hotel and flight time. ”

With travelers looking to "level up their travel experience," average trip costs are expected to rise in 2022 (by 29% for Americans, per Tripadvisor). "

As a result, people "are more willing to splurge on trips and accept higher prices, whether it's choosing to stay at a luxury hotel or seeking out more local tours and experiential activities," as explained by Casey Brogan, a consumer travel expert at Tripadvisor. ”

Booking a summer vacation now will get you the best deals and widest range of options.

Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming summer travel season, and how to get started planning right away if you haven't already locked in any summer trips.

If you want the best selection and the lowest prices for a summer vacation, now is the time to book. Featured image by Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images.

Airfare

Adit Damodaran, an economist at Hopper, advises, "travelers should start watching airfare now" for upcoming summer vacations.

From now until June, we expect domestic airfare to rise by an average of 7 percent per month; as summer vacations begin, ticket prices typically rise to their highest point in June. By the end of May, this will amount to a 35% increase over today's airfare prices. Round-trip domestic airfare is expected to average $315 this summer, up 9% from last year and 29% from 2020. ”

Damodaran predicts a gradual recovery in international tourism, but not a return to 2019 levels due to the continued COVID-19 restrictions and the crisis in Ukraine (as reported by MMGY Travel Intelligence). The survey found that almost half of all travelers are holding off on plans to visit Europe this year until they see how the situation in Ukraine develops.

Nonetheless, he warns that between now and June, international ticket prices will rise by an average of about 5% per month.

Wilderness preserves

U.S. National Park Service's breathtaking natural wonders are always popular during the summer, but during the pandemic, when people were seeking social distance and outdoor vacations, attendance spiked even higher. For many parks, timed entry tickets must be reserved in advance, and reservations for camping and lodging must be made immediately or postponed until 2023.

The 15th of each month at 7 a.m. is when Yosemite campsite reservations become available five months in advance. m PT This means that the cutoff date for making an August reservation is March 15th.

"Be aware that nearly all reservations for the months of May through September and for some other weekends are filled the first day they become available, usually within seconds or minutes after 7 a.m.," warns the National Park Service. m ”

To put it mildly, there is zero obligation

Visiting many national parks requires planning ahead for timed entry tickets. Photographed by Peter Amend/Getty Images.

Hotels

Henley Vazquez, co-founder of the Fora online travel agency, advises travelers to book their trips as soon as possible if they have their hearts set on a specific destination and hotel.

This summer is being booked up fast, according to Vazquez, because "domestically, people who have postponed weddings or big family trips — the trips that were rescheduled so many times in the last two years — are now scheduled for this summer." This year, for example, May through October at Triple Creek Ranch is completely booked. ”

Hotels are keeping an eye on this growing trend.

When asked about the timing of reservations, Lisbeth K. said, "We're seeing an earlier booking window this year." Executive Sales Manager at Cliff House in Maine, Yori According to her, "by April/May of last year, we were almost fully committed for the summer." ”

Travelers are finding that many East Coast hotspots are already at or near capacity for the summer.

A lot of people who wouldn't have considered visiting before decided to come this year because of how convenient it is to travel within the country. "Many of them booked for 2022 before they even checked out," says Katherine Hawk of the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Meanwhile, Ruth Abellan, general manager of the NH Collection New York Madison Avenue, is anticipating a "good summer" and reporting an 80% occupancy rate.

So, what alternatives do you have if your top choice for a domestic vacation is closed? Vazquez recommends the Caribbean and Mexico if you're looking for a beach and warm weather. Destinations like the Cayman Islands are reopening after strict [COVID-19] protocols, and new flights have been added.

What alternatives do you have if you are denied entry to your preferred U.S. tourist attraction? The Cayman Islands and other Caribbean destinations await. Photographer: Michal Ben Ari/Gerry Images

Apartments for rent

You may be considering relying on a vacation rental as a fallback option at this point. But hold on a second

Airbnb's global gross nights booked increased from 20% in the fourth quarter of 2020 to nearly 35% in the first quarter of 2021, with some of the growth attributed to the growing popularity of "the live and work anywhere" trend, which has led to a shortage of suitable housing.

It's common knowledge that reserving a vacation rental in advance will increase your options, but home rental website Vacasa says that the number of guests will be a major factor in determining how far in advance you should book.

Larger vacation rentals are the first to fill up, while last-minute travelers are more likely to find smaller homes that are perfect for a family's needs. Considering the time and effort required to organize a trip for a large group, this is to be expected, says Natalia Sutin, vice president of revenue management at Vacasa.

According to Vacasa's Vacation Rental Search Report from 2021, the median booking window was 35 to 40 days, so if you're interested in a larger home, it's best to start looking at least a few months in advance.

Tourists in search of tranquility have made Joshua Tree National Park and similar hotspots increasingly popular. The image is courtesy of Peathgee Inc/Getty Images.

The most popular things at the moment

Director of Adventures and Custom Travel at Luxury Rental Platform ThirdHome Liz Bates says, "People are looking into trips in wide-open spaces to reconnect with nature." "On the domestic side, there has been an increased interest in places like Montana, Utah, and Joshua Tree," Bates says. ”

Vacasa's experts have noticed a rise in interest in East Coast beach towns, specifically Ocean City, Maryland; Destin, Florida; and Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. Sunriver, Oregon, a resort town in the West, was a hotspot for cyclists.

According to Hopper's data, people were most interested in flying to London, Cancun, Mexico, and Paris.

Don't give up on your summer plans if you, too, are unable to find what you're looking for in the places you originally considered visiting.