Travel agents recommend people start looking into booking summer vacations

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – It’s not summer yet, but travel agents are already recommending that people start making summer travel plans.

There are several popular destinations coming up for this summer, according to Travis Paquin, co-owner of 417 Travel.

“Some of the hot spots have been longer Caribbean cruises, Hawaii, and Europe have been really popular in comparison to last year. We’ve got a lot of new all inclusive resorts and some and some new destinations that have become really popular. We’re seeing a lot of Curacao, Aruba, and, of course, a lot of Hawaii bookings as well,” said Paquin.

There are some things travelers need to keep in mind if they’re looking to head out on summer vacations later this year. Firstly, consider what excursions you want to do.

“Do you want it more guided or do you want an adventure out on your own? We can take care of literally any request you might have and even curate more intimate experiences that maybe you haven’t thought of. We’ll ask you the question is what’s the memory you want to create on this vacation or experience?” said Paquin.

Paquin says flights are still available, although you want to book soon since prices fluctuate so frequently.

“Airfare is the natural part of travel. That’s the price that can change from today until Monday, so we always say if you know you’re going to book a trip, and we need to do airfare with it, let’s book it right now we can lock that in and make sure you do get the best rate,” said Paquin.

Paquin also recommends considering how long you want to stay. If you’re booking a bigger trip with more people, consider fewer nights away.

“Sometimes on our family trips when you’ve got a lot of people maybe multiple numbers of rooms, just dropping a night off can save you several hundred dollars. So if you usually do a seven night trip but now you’re got teen travelers like I had for several years, you’re going to need to add that extra room, maybe you make that a six night trip versus a seven night trip,” said Paquin.

Now is the time to book. Paquin says there’s still inventory, but it’s going fast.

“The good news is we do have some inventory out there still for the summer, but now’s the time. I always say the good stuff sells out first. So it’s not that you can’t find anything for a summer vacation if you wait, but that preferred hotel or that preferred cruise line, and most importantly, the room categories or the cabin that you might want on a particular sailing or a particular vacation is likely to be sold out if you don’t get something held in advance,” said Paquin.

Also, make sure you have documents ready. If you’re looking to travel, you’ll want your ID and passport up-to-date so you’re ready to go.

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