Despite high gas prices and a weak U.S. dollar, Americans are still hitting the road, taking to the skies and going on vacation, Fiona Lake Waslander says. Jean talks with Fiona, director of travel for Yahoo!, about travel trends and top travel destinations for 2008.
Fiona says Americans may stay closer to home in 2008 and take shorter trips to save money and avoid missing too much work—but they will continue to travel nonetheless. "People are still traveling—I think they're just watching their budgets a lot more…choosing the less expensive destinations both domestically and internationally," she says.
Fiona says domestic destinations that ranked highest in page views in Yahoo! Travel Guides included Lancaster, Pennsylvania; Ocean City, New Jersey; and Helen, Georgia. Internationally, Fiona says the hottest countries to visit included Portugal, El Salvador and the Philippines—affordable places that are also rich in culture, history and natural beauty, she says.
For travelers looking to save even more, Fiona says the best thing to do is thoroughly research your options online. Also, the more flexible you can be with your dates and flight times, the more you can save, she says.
