Winter is in the rearview mirror and spring break season is wrapping up, which means summer isn't far away. It's time to start thinking about your summer travel plans, and we're here to help: Introducing Thrifty Traveler's first-ever Summer Travel Week.Â
To make sure you're ready for the summer travel season, we're devoting our coverage this week (from Monday, April 10 through Friday, April 15) to all things summer travel. From our best summer flight deals to the best travel tips to survive what's sure to be a hectic stretch of travel to our guides to planning the perfect road trip – and much, much more – we're doling out all of our best advice so you can dial in your summer trip before it's too late.
Why now, you ask? Well, according to some analysis from Google Flights, the best time to book summer flights to get the lowest fare is between 14 and 44 days before you plan to travel, with the sweetest spot coming around 21 days out. That means if you're trying to start your summer trip around June 1, the ideal window is coming up quickly. Our Summer Travel Week is designed to help you get all your ducks in a row so you're ready to book and plan when the time is right.
So what should you do to get ready for Summer Travel Week 2023? We're glad you asked:
- Sign up for our free Daily Beat email newsletter to get all of our Summer Travel Week stories sent to your inbox.
- Follow along here at ThriftyTraveler.com every day starting Monday to see all of our Summer Travel Week stories – or just bookmark this page, where we'll keep a running list of all of our Summer Travel Week stories.
The timing couldn't be better, either. Unlike last year when summer flight prices skyrocketed, we've been seeing signs that flight prices are dropping across the country and even to some international destinations. That's right: Your summer 2023 trip is back on – at least if you know where to look. We'll show you some of our favorite deals for summer travel, and also peel back the curtain to tell you where we're going, how we're booking it, and how we're getting there for our own personal travels this summer.
If you or someone you know has ruled out traveling this summer due to high prices or for fear of potential travel mishaps, it's time to reassess. Travel is back in 2023 and it's going to be a great year to get out there.
On Monday, we'll start with a breakdown of summer flight pricing trends, and give you an idea of what to expect at airports and on planes this summer. Tuesday, we're going to showcase some of the best summer travel flight deals we've found, give you advice on how to deal with or avoid flight disruptions, and show you the best ways to plan and save on a weekend trip this summer, too. And, that's just a taste of what we have in store.
Follow along with us during Thrifty Traveler Summer Travel Week!
Summer Travel Week Stories
Summer Flight Prices & Deals
- Everyone wants to travel during the summer months. Most years, that demand leads to insanely high flight prices. But, something different is happening this year. We dig into what's going on with summer flight prices (and where you can find cheap flights!)
- Finding and booking cheap flights for a trip over the summer isn't always easy. But if you know where to look, you'll find that the deals are out there. From Banff to Iceland and beyond, here are some of the best deals we're seeing for cheap flights for summer 2023.
- Want to save on flights to Europe this summer? These are the cheapest European cities to fly to this summer. Even if they're not on your list, flights within Europe are crazy inexpensive, so you can save by taking a cheap long-haul flight, then connecting onwards to your final destination.
- The results are in: These are the most searched destinations for travel this summer, according to Google.
- This is a great summer to use your points and miles to save on expensive flights. Award availability in June and August is easier to find than normal right now, and you might be surprised at how few points you'll need to book a memorable summer getaway.
Summer Travel Tips
- After slowly climbing back to normal, summer 2023 is poised to be the biggest season of travel we've seen in years – maybe ever. This is what you can expect at airports and on planes this summer.
- Flight disruptions are an unfortunate reality of air travel. And while we hopefully won't see a repeat of Southwest's historic meltdown or the recurring snafus from last summer, it's still probably time to hope for the best … and prepare for the worst. Here are some simple ways you can try to save yourself from the stress of summer flight disruptions.
- Summer is the perfect season for a long weekend trip. But even weekend trips can be tricky to pull off on a budget – especially in the summer. Whether you're taking advantage of a holiday weekend or just want to get away for a few days, these are the best ways we know to save on a weekend trip this summer.Â
- Flights can be the priciest part of a trip – especially over the summer when travel demand drives airfare even higher. If you're dead set on traveling in June, July, or August this year, there are plenty of tools you can use and easy tricks to follow to save hundreds on a flight this summer.
- Follow these 11 easy tips to get ahead and travel like a pro this summer.
- Whether you're skipping the airports this summer or simply set on exploring the country by road, here are five ways you can save on a road trip this year.
Love your excellent travel tips and articles Gunnar! Thank you! I am happy to be a Thrifty Travel member 🙂 Thanks, Kelly