Why You Really Shouldn’t Wait to Book Your Summer Travel

For most people, traveling during the coronavirus pandemic has been strictly on an as-needed basis. That’s likely to change this summer. If you’re fully vaccinated with KN-95s in hand and ready to get the hell out of Dodge, don’t put off booking your trips much longer—now’s the time to take advantage of low prices and better perks before they’re gone forever.

Beat the rush

It’s hard to know exactly how much travel volume will increase this summer, but with many states and cities in the United States relaxing pandemic-related safety measures and international borders opening up, one thing’s for sure: A whole lot more people are going to be traveling than any time in the past two years. (The federal indoor mask mandate expires on April 18, 2022, but the Transportation Security Administration has already extended it once and could do so again.)

Reading between the lines in recent articles about summer 2022 travel predictions, it’s obvious that airlines and travel companies are banking on that pesky “rock-bottom demand” thing going away very soon. That’s never good news for consumers. Ticket prices are about to go up—way up—and stay that way for the foreseeable future. Get your reservations in now while they’re still affordable, or at least less unaffordable.

Customers have the power—for now

The coronavirus pandemic caused an immediate drop in demand for flights (and some hotels) that hasn’t quite bounced back yet. In addition to lowering prices, it has inspired some airlines to attract customers by offering them more perks for less money. The most common perk: Waiving flight change and cancellation fees for main cabin fares. (Unfortunately, basic economy and budget fares still cost money to reschedule.) Some hotels are following suit, particularly those in big cities that have lost their usual business travel clientele.

Allegedly—allegedly—airlines will continue to waive cancellation and change fees through 2022. (Allegedly.) However, as any seasoned traveler knows, airlines simply love fees; it’s a mistake to take them at their word when they say otherwise. Booking flights now is just plain smart: Not only will your tickets cost less than they will in a few months, you’re also less likely to get screwed if you need to reschedule.

Renting a car isn’t getting any easier

Renting a car has never been a bigger pain in the ass. Due to increased demand, the global microchip shortage, and a panicked decision to sell off 770,000 cars at the outset of the pandemic, that trend is likely to continue well into 2022.

There’s no good news for car renters here. On the one hand, you literally may not be able to secure a vehicle if you wait too long. On the other, reserving a car months ahead of time doesn’t guarantee you’ll get the one you want, or even any car at all—and if you want your money back, you’ll need to spend hours on the phone with customer support to get it. Only you can know which strategy works better for you.

Avoid third-party booking providers

Ultimately, there’s not much you can do to protect yourself against a rental car nightmare or any other last-minute travel disaster. However, you can reduce uncertainty-related travel stress by booking your fares and accommodations directly with the relevant provider. Using Expedia, Kayak, or another similar company may save some money, but if your plans change, you’ll almost certainly get bounced between their customer support and the airline’s, hotel’s, or rental car company’s. This is especially unpleasant if you’re trying to get something expensive—like an international flight—refunded. Save yourself a series of headaches and book everything through the company’s website instead; you still may need to spend hours on the phone with customer support, but at least you’ll only have to deal with one company.

If there’s one thing to keep in mind when scheduling trips this summer, it’s to plan on changing your plans. COVID-19 is far from over, and the possibility of another variant popping up can never be discounted—especially now that The Powers That Be have taken a “let ‘er rip” approach to mitigating transmission. Nothing is guaranteed, so book accordingly: Skip anything nonrefundable, and before you commit, read the fine print. The only thing worse than a canceled vacation is a canceled vacation you can’t get refunded.