Hotels aren’t the only game in town, of course. “This is normally my go-to for family vacations and with the limited space and certain parks not being available it's getting tougher to get in.” “I have never seen it booked up so tight in either destination,” she says.Īs always, families are planning summer escapes to Disney World in Orlando, says Trish Smith, an InteleTravel travel advisor based in Kansas City. “But it has low to no availability,” he adds, “likely due to the government restrictions on occupancy coupled with travel demand.” A Houston-based agent, Lysa Middleton Phillips, confirms the lack of options in Miami and Jamaica. Darryl Jenkins, a Maryland-based agent, says Jamaica is his most-requested destination. Hopper’s data lines up with what travel agents in the global InteleTravel network are seeing. Americans are also planning escapes to Mexico and the Caribbean, with flights to Cancun, Puerto Rico, and Jamaica among the most popular international destinations. “Campgrounds and cabins are our most popular inventory, and rooms as well.”įor travelers who are open to flying this summer, the most popular domestic destinations are Las Vegas, Miami and Orlando, according to Hopper, a travel forecasting app. “All of our national park lodges are sold out throughout the summer as people seek domestic driving trips to wide open spaces,” says Xanterra’s O’Rourke. National park vacations always book up well ahead of summer, but this year it’s even more competitive. “An exciting glimmer of hope pointing to the pent-up demand is that travel bookings made in April 2021 are up 11% compared to April 2019.” So where is everyone going? “Travel trends that emerged during the pandemic, such as closer-to-home travel, still remain popular,” says Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Global Travel and Lifestyle Services, noting that 87% of bookings made through its site are for domestic destinations. “We’re telling customers to book six to eight weeks in advance,” he advises, “even before they nail down their flight and hotel.”

Jonathan Weinberg, the CEO of the rental car booking site AutoSlash, says travelers can no longer afford to treat a rental car as an afterthought this year. “Many of our top vacation destinations currently have double the reservations for June, July and August 2021 compared to what was booked at this time in 2019,” says Natalia Sutin, the company’s VP of revenue management.Īnd as if travelers needed another wrench in their vacation plans, a massive rental car shortage is pushing daily rates into nosebleed territory or, worse, leaving some markets with no vehicles at all. Reservations are also pacing far ahead of pre-pandemic trends on Vacasa, another vacation rental platform. Gateway Arch: Moab in Utah is on the doorstep of two spectacular national parks.

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