At the beginning of the year on my show, I declared 2009 the "Year of the Travel Deal".  Today, I thought I'd elaborate a bit.

As you may or may not know I am on a mission to get more people traveling more often, staying longer, and enriching their lives with the positive power of travel.  That may sound petty but the bottom line is…I WANT PEOPLE TO TRAVEL MORE!  Travel has positive effects for adults in the form of improved mood and improved mental functioning.  Jonah Lehrer's new book: "How We Decide" talks about this concept and states numerous studies to support his theory.   Travel also has been shown to have a strong developmental impact for young people as James Martin asserts in a recent article (see below).  Others even advocate making it a standard part of a well rounded secondary education (link to article below).  Rich or poor, young or old, travel benefits everyone.
       
Recently, the economy has been a little on the soft-side.  I know that may be a bit of an understatement, certainly for those who have lost their jobs, but let's not focus on the negative…let's look beyond.  The skies are sunnier for the weary, cash-strapped, would-be traveler. You see, generally speaking, when the US economy tanks people often cancel their travel plans; which means the supply of hotel rooms, airline seats, rental cars, and admission tickets increases.  And when there is a surplus (or excess inventory) then the price comes down.  Just because the economy goes into the toilet doesn't mean they start tearing down hotels.  On top of that, gas prices are the lowest they've been in 6 years - this reduces the cost of all forms of travel.  Those low prices are expected to start rising in the second half of the year due to changes in production and proposed tax increases.  So the time to travel is now - start hunting for those deals! 

However, a word of caution.  When shopping for deals, be sure to know the party that is offering you the deal.  As they always say "buyer beware".  In addition, look for packages.  This is a great way to save additional money.  Bundling up airline tickets, hotel room nights, and a car rental is very common in the travel business, but again, be sure to read the fine print.  While we're on the subject, when you book that "perfect deal", book carefully.  Make sure to get the names, dates, destinations, and credit card numbers correct.  A misstep with just one of these details can cause your trip to be delayed or even cancelled without a refund.

2009 is the year of the travel deal and who better to take advantage of this than you?  After all, you deserve a vacation!

Happy travels.

James Martin’s article