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San Francisco, California, view of Golden Gate Bridge
I have noticed the abundance of travel articles in the past few weeks touting the simplicity of domestic travel this summer right here in the good ole USof A.
Personally, my travel plans are on hold as I work through my Loyalty Traveler business plans, the prospect of teaching school kids this summer, and awaiting a great airfare opportunity like the tickets I purchased last May 2007: Buenos Aires to New York in Business Class for $541 and Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand in Business Class for $1,400 all-in.
Let’s assume I can get a great deal for two tickets to Europe or Asia for $600 each. $1,200 in airfare just to get to a foreign airport. The ground transportation tends to be one of the bigger expenses of international travel, aside from the hotels. Germany has Schönes-Wochenende-Ticket discounts that allow a passenger to travel anywhere in the country on regional trains over the weekend at a highly discounted rate (35-37Euros or about $55USD). Little train travel deals like that help the dollar stretch a long way with planning.
Assume gas averages $4.00/gallon this summer. My recent road trip averaged over 27 miles/gal in my Hyundai Sonata with the A/C running. $1,200 in gas will buy 300 gallons and about 8,000 miles of driving. I can cover a lot of road in my car for the cost of two international air tickets.
I love getting out of the USA to gain a different perspective on life and our American lifestyles. Canada may be the best bet for international summer travel savings (although gas will be more than $4.00/gal in Canada). Vancouver, Canada is a little over 1,000 miles by road from Monterey. Considering the cost of auto gas compared to international airfare, I’ll have enough gas money for another 5,000 road trip miles in my car and the ability to easily see dozens of city and resort hotels on the way.
Recent travel articles on the high cost of tavel and domestic agendas:
Ladies Who Launch: Jetsetting around the U.S. of A.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/amy-swift/emladies-who-launchem-jet_b_99409.html
Luxury Travel targets the young and affluent:
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/hotels/2008-05-01-upscales-hotels_N.htm
Jet Set Will Fret over Soaring Fuel Prices:
http://www.hotelinteractive.com/index.asp?page_id=5000&article_id=10453
Economy May Aid Florida Tourism:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/01/bz-economy-may-aid-states-tourism/
AOL/Zogby Survey finds Americans plan to spend less in 2008 on vacations:
http://www.hotelsmag.com/articleXml/LN783405719.html?nid=3457
