The key to traveling for less this year will be booking a package deal.
While airfares are expected to rise, cost-conscious travelers can save hundreds of dollars if they book their airfare and hotel together — a feature offered on most travel booking sites, said Sarah Gavin, an Expedia.com spokeswoman. For popular resort locations, like Hawaii and Mexico, savings can reach up to $1,000 for a week-long vacation.
By lumping the purchases together, hotels and airlines are able to fill vacant rooms or flights at a deeper discount, she said.
Take a 7-night trip to Cancun in April. Purchased alone, two round-trip flights from New York and a week at a four-star all-inclusive resort would run $3,643. Purchasing the trip as a package shaves off $1,440.
