Many of the deals, Buckholt says, are for cruises and trips to the Caribbean and Mexico, although there are plenty of other options for the financially conscience traveller.
“There’s a lot out there,” Buckholt said. “Cruise lines are offering weekly and daily specials. Sixty-five percent off, August through September.”
While the outbreak of the H1N1 virus, also known as swine flu, hurt early summer travel to Mexico, those fears have worn off, said Teresa Roberts a travel agent with the Dayton chapter of the American Automobile Association.
But the enduring recession does continue to impact the travel market, Roberts said. “I would say it’s down some, but not drastically. It’s bad, but not as bad as it could be.”
There are a few ways to get a good deal, travel agents say, either be prepared to pick up and go, be flexible on the destination or plan ahead. Many travels are allowing themselves to fall into one of these categories to save a buck.
“(Travelers) are looking for bargins, spending less and looking for last minute deals,” Buckholt said.
And cheap travel is helping out those with trips already planned. Cilla Shindell, who works for the University of Dayton, got what amounted to half price round trip tickets for her upcoming trip to Sydney, Australia.
“The cost of the flight was a wonderful surprise,” she said. “It was a lot less than I expected. I expected to pay twice that.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2342 or cmagan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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