Summer Travel - Book Now!

By Melissa TosettiWhile the snow piles up and the rain comes down, it’s likely you’re thinking about your next vacation.Beyond today’s weather, there’s another reason to ponder your next trip – NOW is the ideal time to start looking for those summer travel deals.Giving yourself plenty of time to watch airfare, cruise and travel package prices affords you an opportunity to make your travel dollar go further by knowing when to pull the trigger and buy.Besides, half the fun of travel is the anticipation, and the anticipation grows with the amount of research you do.There are so many travel resources out there to help you save. Here’s just a few of our favorites:AirFareWatchdog - Set up an alert by typing in what airport you want to fly out of, what airport you want to fly into and when you want to go. Every few days you’ll receive an email letting you know the best price for that flight.  Pretty soon, you’ll have a feel for the highs and lows and be able to confidently pull the trigger on that ticket.Groupon Getaways - It was Groupon Getaways we used to score our trip to Italy in 2016. The nine day package for our family of 3 included airfare, hotel, train travel between cities, breakfast every day and insurance for $5,300!CruiseSheet and Vacations To Go - There are two websites that hardcore cruisers go to look for deals: CruiseSheet and Vacations To Go. If you’re looking for last minute deals though, start with Vacations 2 Go.  That’s their expertise.Budget Travel  - If you really love to travel, you should be a subscriber to Budget Travel’s website. Not only will you get notices about the latest deals, but you’ll also learn about beautiful, affordable places to travel to that you may never hear about otherwise.Airbnb and VRBO - Circumvent traditional hotels with Airbnb and VRBO!  Note that AirBnB is a decidedly non-traditional way to acquire vacation lodging.  Be sure to check reviews and local ordinances before making any booking.