Summer Travel Deals

By: | News Channel 7
Published: April 29, 2009

You've been saving your money all year and summer is coming! If you think you can't afford a great summer vacation, think again. Because of the bad economy, you can take amazing summer trips... for about half the price.

AAA Carolinas says travelers are streaming in to plan trips. Most are driving just a few hours to get away. Said Linda Burch with AAA, "We've been sending folks to the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Great Smokey Mountain park, even over to Dollywood."

Or they're heading to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, or Hilton Head. Said Burch, "There are some resorts along the beach area that traditionally are very exclusive sort of resorts, again this year very affordable."

AAA is keeping a list of 25 vacations under 250 dollars: "There are some great cruise deals out there, some of them domestic, some international."

50 trips under $500, for example: "Alaska cruises. They're about half the price as last year at this time," said Burch.

And 100 trips under $1000: Said Burch, "Particularly in italy, which is a very popular destination for people that want to go to Rome, Florence, Tuscany. And there are some nice seven day packages that you can go for under $1000."

So see your travel agent. Prices are expected to go up this fall and word of low fares is getting out. Said Burch, "People are taking advantage of them. So I would say, if its something you want to do with the family, it's time to pin something down."

That vacation you thought you could never afford is now about half off.

If you're kids are fans of Disney and Universal Studios, AAA says theme parks in Orlando are offering great deals, too.

Here are some travel websites that can help you find the lowest airfares, cruise rates, and hotel rooms:

www.airfarewatchdog.com
www.expedia.com
www.hotwire.com
www.travelocity.com
www.orbitz.com
www.priceline.com
www.sidestep.com