PORTLAND, Maine — With COVID numbers generally trending downward in the United States, people are once again feeling the urge to travel. Christopher Elliott, who writes about travel for USA Today and The Washington Post, says bookings are climbing, which raises the question: For people looking to go somewhere over the holidays, are there any deals still out there?
“Yes and no,” Elliott told NEWS CENTER Maine. “What we know is that travel prices are going up very consistently because of the declining number of COVID cases and also just because a lot of people haven’t traveled in a long time. A lot of folks were sitting out the summer and now they think, OK, it’s safe to go out there.”
Part of the challenge in finding good deals in travel is figuring out the timing, specifically whether it’s better to buy now or hold off and hope prices go down.
For holiday travel, Elliott said, “This is not the year to [wait]. Because prices are rising so consistently and demand is increasing, it’s better if you see a deal you think you can afford to book it now and don’t wait.”
As long as demand is growing, prices are unlikely to dip. One of the few sectors where bargains might be found, though, is in city hotels that cater to business travelers, most of whom are staying home or at the office.
At those hotels, Elliott said, “We’re still seeing some of the rates thirty to forty percent off where they were pre-pandemic, and so you may still find a really good deal there.”
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