AAA says holiday trips are getting booked even earlier as travel returns post-pandemic

FOX 2 (WJBK) - Travel is something many people put on pause during the height of the pandemic. Three years later, life is slowly but surely getting back to a new normal - which means more and more people are traveling again.

Debbie Haas is vice president of travel with AAA Michigan and says that more trips are beginning to be planned well in advance.

"We’ve actually got people planning their 2025 vacations already," she said.

According to a new study by AAA overall, more travelers are booking vacations earlier than last year.

Fifty-two percent of Michiganders say they are planning on vacationing this holiday season. And of those, more than half say they are booking trips earlier than they did last year.

Furthermore, about 36 percent of Michiganders say they have or will be booking their Thanksgiving vacation in this month - and about 31 percent of Michiganders plan to book Christmas vacations in October.

"The week before Christmas when business travel trails off, hotels are a little more empty - so that’s a time that I love to travel," said Haas.

Given the fluidity of inflation, figuring out the best time to travel and the most affordable and convenient mode of transportation, can be challenging.

Haas shared some need-to-know tips starting with travel insurance.

"What it does is, it allows you to be protected for things that could happen before or during the trip," she said. "And it protects you and your traveling companions as well as your financial investment for travel. And it can be for many unexpected circumstances.

"So before the trip, it could be because of the illness of a loved one, or maybe you might lose your job or maybe you got injured. And while you are traveling it could be for cancelations, lost luggage, and delays for as little as three hours."

And, why book sooner?

"You’ll have the most choice and you’ll have the best price," she said.

Also, consider looking for bundle deals and/or all-inclusive options regardless of how you’re traveling.

"Sometimes what we can do is like a cruise bundled with flights, those flights were purchased well in advance using scale - and that will save you," Haas said.

If you’re driving or renting a car consider a budget-friendly option.

"The rental car agencies are investing in Electric Vehicles and what we’re finding is people are using it, if they are an owner already of an Electric Vehicle or if they are looking to use it as a sample drive if they are using it for the first time. And you can save a lot on gas by getting an EV."

As far as destinations go, Haas also weighed in on that.

"The biggest trend this year has been Europe, Europe has been so hot," she said. "More locally, certainly some of the favorites are some of the bigger cities, New York always gets really hot for the holidays because of the decorations, Chicago that’s not so far from home for Michiganders, we have of course our own traditions in Detroit."