Biggest summer travel season ever?

Planning on hitting the roads or skies this summer for business or vacation trips? It could be the busiest summer ever according to TravelSkills editor Chris McGinnis. 

Take a look at this video produced by TravelSkills partner Best Western for a look inside Chris’s office in San Francisco, and also inside his crystal ball when it comes to the upcoming summer travel season.

In a nutshell, Chris thinks that three factors could push travel demand into the stratosphere this summer:

1) Pent up demand due to the recent cold snowy winter combined with positive economic indicators

2) Low gas prices

3) The strength of the US dollar

What does this mean for TravelSkills readers? Well, if you are traveling on business this summer, prepare for surprises like extra long lines at US airports on weekends during July and August— some of which are higher volume days that the days before or after Thanksgiving.

Be especially wary of long check in and security lines at foreign airports for flights headed back to the US, especially in August. (Might be smart to cash in some of those frequent flyer miles for upgrades to business class, which can help ease airport and inflight stress during peak summer months.)

The cheapest times to fly during peak season will be the first two weeks of June, and then the last week or so of August. As a matter of fact, most airline fares drop precipitously after about August 25 this year. And Labor Day is late– Monday September 7.

Cities like New York and San Francisco will be full of Americans, but you might find fewer Europeans this year, scared away by the strong US dollar. Macy’s is already taking a hit due to this. It could also help temper high hotel prices…but not by much since demand is so high. Best Western reports that advance bookings for this summer are already up 6% compared to last summer– and if you recall, last summer was a whopper, too.

Here’s Chris’s full report from TravelSkills HQ! Please tune in for a look-see 🙂