Now is the best time to book your 2023 holiday

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KFVS) – A travel company has said it’s time to book your vacation for next year.

We spoke with a travel consultant at Elite Travel in Cape Girardeau who said they’ve been busy lately with people looking to plan their vacations for 2023.

COVID restrictions have been lifted in many areas, prompting more people to travel to their favorite areas.

“There’s been a flurry of people calling and coming in looking for travel options and feeling a lot more comfortable with travel,” said travel consultant Tonya Blunt. “So we’re seeing a lot of last minute calls. They want to go in two weeks and people are already planning next summer and next spring.

Blunt said they see the best prices currently available for the following year.

“That’s when you have the most seats available for flights, the most rooms available, and hoteliers are ready to bring people into their businesses and into their resorts,” Blunt said. .

So what are the places people are interested in going? Blunt said beaches tend to be busy places, but there’s another area where people are looking to get to.

“One of the biggest things we’re seeing an increase in is national parks,” Blunt said. “Destinations out west, Glacier National Park, Yellowstone National Park. All of these areas are huge vacation spots. Again, some COVID issues persist and so it’s all outdoors. People want to see what America has to offer.

Blunt also said it is now much more comfortable to travel even to other countries now that some restrictions have been lifted.

“Most overseas countries have lifted their restrictions,” Blunt said. “There are still a few countries in Asia and Europe that still have COVID restrictions when it comes to vaccination requirements and testing and things like that. But, many of them are lifted or have been lifted as we speak.

Overall, Blunt said if you want to plan a vacation for next year, you need to start taking action now.

“We’re seeing so many things sell out so quickly compared to what we’ve seen in the past,” Blunt said. “A lot of people want more luxurious items, better room categories and that sort of thing. So these sell out very quickly. So if you even think you want to travel in the next 10, 11, 12 months, now is the time.

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