travel Archives - Page 5 of 5

Michiganders are eager to get back to traveling, but this summer’s vacation season has been overshadowed by inflation.

The consumer price index rose again in June but two major travel categories decreased compared to the previous month. Airfare and lodging away from home dropped after sharp inclines in May.

Airfares decreased 1.8% and lodging fell 2.8%. The caveat is travel is still significantly more expensive than this time last year. Annually, airfare prices jumped 34.1%.

Michiganders in the travel industry shared their tips with MLive on how to vacation on the cheap.

Related: After two years at home, travelers want an experience, not just a vacation

Buy a Michigan recreation passport

For Jessica Bassett, a social media influencer based in Byron Center, Michigan’s recreation passport has been the inexpensive ticket into some of the state’s most remarkable sites.

Bassett, 40, runs the Facebook and Instagram account Mom in the Mitten, where she chronicles her family’s summer travels. This year, the family of five drove to the Upper Peninsula, where they hiked Tahquamenon Falls, pet bear cubs at Oswald’s Bear Ranch, peeked into the bottom of Kitch-iti-kipi and jumped off the Black Rocks in Marquette.

All while keeping the cost low with a $12 year-round license plate pass.

“I think the outdoor adventure stuff definitely offers like a budget friendly option,” Bassett said.

To further manage costs, Bassett brought her snack bin from home for the long car ride, and booked an Airbnb with a kitchen so the family could prepare meals at home for their three boys.

Travel midweek, to more obscure locations

Dave Lorenz, vice president of Travel Michigan, suggests midweek travel as a way to see more of the state on a budget and avoid crowds during the busy season. He also encourages travelers to venture beyond what

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VACATION

My family of 5 is going on 22 trips in 2022. Here are 8 of our best travel tips for a perfect vacation.

July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

My family of five” class=”link “family of five is going on 22 trips in 2022, and we’ve formed our own special travel routine.
To build our three daughters’ excitement, we research destinations and curate itineraries together.
Each family member also gets a small budget to purchase themselves a new item ahead of a vacation.

After taking a five-week vacation to Europe in 2021, my family of five set our sights on an even bigger adventure: 22 trips in 2022.

We knew the plan wasn’t going to be easy to pull off, but giving our three young daughters new, exciting experiences has made the challenges worth it.

Here are the top tips I give fellow travelers who want to embark on more family adventures around the world.

Be open to trying new places

Diana Blinkhorn sitting in front of a waterfall with her three daughters , show from behind — I explored waterfalls in Costa Rica with our three daughters.Diana Blinkhorn

My family often has an idea of the places we want to visit, but we try to stay open-minded to new ideas.

Google Flights is one of our most-used resources to come up with fresh trip ideas. Using the “explore” tool, we enter our origin city and then browse great flight deals around the globe.

It’s a fantastic way for our family to dream up new vacation destinations.

Create an itinerary the entire family enjoys

Planning is a huge part of family travel, and we’ve done so much of it that we’ve formed our own routine.

First, we decide on a destination. Then, we all sit down and watch YouTube or travel documentaries to learn more about its history, culture, and landscape.

After we absorb the new information, we all get together to compile a list of the things each of us is the most eager to see or do, which

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HOTEL

MTS Russia Acquires 100% Stake in Online Hotel Booking Firm

July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), Russia’s largest mobile operator and a leading provider of media and digital services, announced the acquisition of a 100% stake in Bronevik Online and Bronevik Company (Bronevik Group, one of the market leaders in online hotel booking). The acquisition is aimed at developing a new business line, MTS Travel, in the tourism industry.

MTS has started to develop its new business line through MTS Travel, a recently registered wholly owned subsidiary. MTS Travel will offer a service for booking hotels, other accommodation and tickets; provide tourist and excursion services; arrange the rental and leasing of vehicles, as well as the rental of recreation equipment; and organize sports activities.

MTS President and CEO Viacheslav Nikolaev
Tourism, business travel and hospitality in Russia are developing dynamically, and we expect these markets to grow rapidly in the coming years. For this reason, we are carving out a separate business vertical called MTS Travel—which will complement other areas of our business—in order to develop it in an integrated manner through one of the leaders in the Russian online hotel booking market. We expect that the combined expertise of MTS and Bronevik as well as the acquired companies’ access to big data technologies and artificial intelligence alongside MTS’s sales channels and financial opportunities will enable us to offer customers qualitatively new services for booking and accommodation as well organizing recreational activities and travel opportunities.

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TRAVELLING

Three Ways For Travel Brands To Earn Customer Loyalty

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

Lauren Gumport is the Director of Communications & Brand at travel insurance disruptor Faye.

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If you’re one of the 73% of Americans ValuePenguin found have summer travel plans, you’re likely vexed by the rise in costs amid the complete chaos occurring at airports—from widespread cancellations to pilot shortages. All the while, we’re surrounded by news of layoffs and a possible impending recession.

At a time when it seems empathy from travel brands is the answer, many are doing the opposite by implementing clear—dare I say greedy—monetization strategies that seem geared toward taking advantage of a year of “revenge travel” in which many may be willing to shell out more cash to make up for trips canceled during the peak of the pandemic.

Case in point: Some airlines are now not only charging for checked luggage but also pieces you can carry on. And in an effort to persuade more travelers to opt into their rewards programs, some may encourage sign-ups as a way to promise no-fee carry-ons and the ability to board earlier so your bag isn’t checked against your will. And who wants a checked bag these days given the pileup that just happened at Heathrow?

All of this—the prices, the lines and so on—is unlikely to deter travel. I know many people are planning to take a trip (or two) this summer regardless of unpleasant flights. And this means consumer loyalty is up for grabs. So rather than alienating those looking to take to the skies without going for broke, travel brands can use this as an opportunity to showcase empathy, transparency and clear terms to mitigate much of the conflict and confusion that we’re seeing occur worldwide this season. In doing so, they’ll create brand cheerleaders for life.

Here are three examples of

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TRAVELLING

Are cruises cheaper right now? What to know about booking

July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

Between high travel demand and inflation, taking a trip this summer may be a pricey prospect. But if you are still looking to plan a trip, cruises are a more affordable option – for now.

Stephanie Goldberg-Glazer, owner of the travel agency Live Well, Travel Often, said that while that difference is not necessarily new, this year it is “a little bit more pronounced because summer-travel-11657665840″ data-t-l=”:b|e|inline click|$u” class=”gnt_ar_b_a”hotel prices have gone absolutely insane across the world.”

Cruise line capacity and occupancy rates have been ramping up after the pandemic shut the industry down. But while ships are sailing, Goldberg-Glazer said, “I think that the general public has not come back to cruising quite as quickly.” When compared with next summer, she said, “The cruise prices for this summer are better because I don’t think anyone thinks there’s going to be a problem filling ships next summer.”

Summer vacation plans may change:Travelers say inflation is impacting ‘absolutely everything’

Is the cruise industry coming back? After more than 2 years under a COVID cloud, the answer is yes.

Here is what passengers need to know about those last-minute deals, including when to book and what to do if you already have.

Are cruises cheaper now?

Between July and September, there are 48 sailings available for less than $60 per day including port fees and taxes, according to Cruise Sheet, which aggregates cheap prices.

Travel app Hopper said in its Summer 2022 Travel Guide that hotels would cost travelers an average of $154 per night, meanwhile, and domestic airfare was averaging $383, up 34% compared with the same time in 2019.

Crystal Cruises will sail again:Two of its ships will resume service in 2023 under new owners

But Goldberg-Glazer said there are a lot of components that

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TRAVELLING

12 Ways to Make This Summer’s Travel Less Bad

July 24, 2022July 24, 2022

by Tracy J. Chu

The on-time airline arrivals rate hasn’t been this bad since 2014. Since airports are chaotic, you may opt to drive, but gas prices have been soaring. Plus, hotel prices have hit all-time highs, even though many properties cut some services like daily housekeeping.

Despite all those deterrents, traveling might be non-negotiable. You might have five weddings to attend this year. Then there’s the work offsite to finally meet the coworkers you’ve never met face to face. And now that your youngest kids are vaccine-eligible, you owe them that (expensive) Disney trip they’ve been begging for.

Ah, suddenly the wanderlust you felt when envisioning your dream “revenge trip” back in 2020 has been zapped away, instead replaced by anxiety and plenty of unwanted expenses.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Combine solid planing with a healthy mindset, and you might skip the common problems with traveling. Who knows? This summer vacation might become the best trip ever.

1. Acknowledge your trip won’t be perfect

Go into your trip with realistic expectations. Delays are all but inevitable, and things might be more expensive than you budgeted for. If you go in knowing the caveats, you’ve already set yourself up better to avoid disappointment.

With that, focus on these next tactics that you can control.

2. Book flights with lower odds of a delay

As if traveling wasn’t stressful enough right now, it’s impossible to guarantee your flight won’t be delayed, as even a private jet could still be subject to air traffic or weather delays. But certain booking strategies can at least increase the odds of on-time arrival:

Fly earlier in the day before a previous flight can delay your plans.
Avoid layovers if your budget and route allow.
Book with airlines with strong histories of on-time arrivals

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