Car rental rates should be lower than what we saw in the recent summer peak, said Michael Taylor, managing director of travel, hospitality and retail analytics at JD Power. Taylor estimates that the daily rate will be around $70, compared to rates starting at around $80 during peak periods during the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the average was between $50 and $60. In popular destinations like Orlando, Florida, “if you need to rent a car, make sure you have one before buying a plane ticket or booking a hotel,” he says.
Explore at home and abroad
The usual popular destination is back in vogue this summer. Hopper found that the most popular international destinations for summer were London, Paris, Tokyo and Rome. The list of domestic destinations includes New York City, Las Vegas, Orlando and Washington DC.
Virtuoso, a luxury travel advisory consortium, placed the United States at the top of its list of booked trips between June and August, confirming that travelers are continuing to explore destinations close to home. Italy, France, Canada and the UK round out the top five spots. While rates remain high in major cities, the group recommends looking for deals in secondary cities, such as San Diego, Sacramento, Seattle, or Denver.
Pam Mercer, co-founder of Tuscany Tours, a company specializing in small group tours to Italy, France and Spain, had to turn down clients, recommending they contact each other again in August to travel in 2024. The client contacted us in August January or February,” he said. “This year, they came in November, and they kept coming.”
Tips for saving on summer travel:
fly midweek. Expedia, an online travel agency, advises against starting trips from Saturday to Monday, which are the most expensive days. Travel on Wednesdays is usually 15% cheaper on domestic flights and 10% cheaper on international flights.
Travel to places where the dollar is strong. The favorable exchange rate between the US dollar and many foreign currencies — including the euro, Canadian dollar, and Mexican peso — makes your money abroad attractive this year.
Stay longer. Many short-term rental sites offer discounts on weekly or monthly stays. On the Vrbo rental platform, use the “Weekly Discount” filter to find it.
Rent a car away from the airport. As Expedia explains, car rental sites that aren’t at the airport generally have lower operating costs and pass that advantage on to customers in the form of lower rates.
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