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Travel Inflation Report: April 2024

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Table of Contents

How airfares have changed

How hotels room rates have changed, how rental car prices have changed, how restaurant prices have changed, how the price of movies, theaters and concerts has changed, smart money move: use travel rewards cards to book, if you’re planning to travel in 2024….

Some good news for travelers: Airfares, car rental and hotel prices are down versus March 2023. Falling travel prices is a bright spot for customers, considering that the price of pretty much everything else is going up. In fact, average consumer prices across all items rose 3.5% year-over-year through March.

According to NerdWallet's Travel Price Index, the overall cost of travel is down 2% from the same month in 2023 and up 15% compared with March 2019 (the last fully-normal March before lockdowns). In short, expect the same trip taken this year to cost slightly less than it did this time last year, but more than it would if you had taken the trip before the pandemic.

Despite travel costs declining year-over-year, there are still things you can do to reduce the price of your trip. Check out our smart money suggestions below.

NerdWallet's Travel Price Index combines data from individual travel categories tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index data, such as airfares, lodging, meals and rental cars.

Overall prices for the past 12 months through March 2024 rose 3.5% before seasonal adjustment. Still, not every individual line item experiences inflation at the same rate — especially when it comes to travel prices. Some types of trips might actually be more or less expensive than in the past, depending on if your trip involves airfare versus driving, if you’re staying in a hotel and whether it involves a rental car.

To help you better understand how travel prices have changed, NerdWallet honed in on five categories:

Car rentals.

Food away from home.

Movies, theaters and concerts.

NerdWallet then compared those costs to their same prices a month ago and a year ago. And given how significantly COVID-19 altered the state of travel, the data also compares today’s prices to the same cost of those things pre-pandemic. For example, March 2024 is compared to March 2019 as the last corresponding pre-pandemic month.

Here’s what today’s travel prices look like:

When comparing March 2024 prices versus March 2023, U.S. airfares are down 7.1%. Even compared to pre-pandemic prices, airfares only rose by 2.6% in March 2024 versus March 2019. That's not a lot considering average prices as a whole are up by 22.8% since March 2019.

Prices for lodging away from home — including hotels and motels in U.S. cities — did increase 6.7% month-over-month. Though, they actually decreased over the past year, falling by 2.4% versus March 2023.

Unlike airfares that are lower than pre-pandemic prices, hotel and motel prices are significantly higher than what they were pre-pandemic — though still not as high as the 22.8% all-items average increase.

High rental car prices were one of the biggest stories of pandemic-era travel. Though prices have leveled off, they are still up an astounding 39.3% versus the same month in 2019. Still, the costs are better now than they were a year ago. Car rental prices are down 8.8% year-over-year.

Food prices consistently rise nearly every month, and this month was no exception. In March 2024, the cost of food away from home was up 4.2% versus the same month in 2023.

And prices are far higher than pre-pandemic, with March 2024 prices coming in at 29.3% higher than what they were in March 2019. That's higher than the inflation rate across all items, suggesting that restaurant prices have risen more than many other categories of goods.

Like restaurants, entertainment prices see fairly consistent increases — save for a small dip in 2020. Prices are now up 22.6% from what they were in March 2019. The year-over-year price increases are up 5%.

Paying for travel with points and miles versus cash isn’t as daunting a task as it may seem. Frequent flyer miles and hotel points can be accrued not just for recurring travel, but through other outlets as well. Credit card rewards and welcome bonuses can be one of the most popular ways to accrue a big stash of points for a lot less effort than living your life out of a suitcase.

In addition, travel credit cards can offer various money saving perks, like:

Complimentary trip insurance .

Savings on checked bags .

Waived foreign transaction fees .

Airport lounge access .

Cash back credits that can offset the annual fee.

Here's a sampling of cards that offer travel-related statement credits.

on Chase's website

on Citibank's application

on Bank of America's website

• 10 points per $1 on Chase Dining, hotel stays and car rentals purchased through Chase.

• 5 points per $1 on air travel purchased through Chase.

• 3 points per $1 on other travel and dining not booked with Chase.

• 1 point per $1 on other purchases.

• 3 points per $1 on air travel and hotels, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants.

• 1 point per $1 on all other purchases.

• 5 points per $1 on prepaid hotels and car rentals booked directly in the Altitude Rewards Center.

• 3 points per $1 on eligible travel purchases and mobile wallet spending on Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.

$300 annual travel credit .

$100 annual hotel credit on bookings of $500 or more.

$325 annual credit.

$100 in airline incidental statement credits.

If you’re building your next vacation budget based on an early-pandemic-era trip, expect to pay far more now for pretty much every expense. Yet even though prices constantly feel like they’re getting higher, you can still save on travel with a little planning.

To avoid the costs of eating out, head to local grocery stores — which can be a fun activity on its own — or pack snacks from home. While in an airport, head to the lounge. Many credit cards have partnerships with airport lounge operators ( Priority Pass is a popular one) where you can typically expect complimentary snacks and drinks.

Methodology

NerdWallet conducted an analysis of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index data released by the U.S. Department of Labor, which was most recently updated in April 2024 and measures prices of items like travel, groceries and cars. Prices usually change every month, but some prices change more than others.

Keep in mind, this data is based on March 2024 information, even though it is released in April 2024, so prices you actually see may have actually improved (or gotten even worse) than this data, because it lags one month behind.

And even within the realm of travel, some expenses might go up, while others might go down.

The NerdWallet Travel Price Index combines data from the Consumer Price Index, weighted by the estimated spending in each category, which is based on 2019 travel expenditure data from the BLS.

Here are the spending categories considered, and how heavily each was weighted:

Flights: 29%.

Car rental: 13%.

Lodging: 30%.

Entertainment: 7%.

How to maximize your rewards

You want a travel credit card that prioritizes what’s important to you. Here are our picks for the best travel credit cards of 2024 , including those best for:

Flexibility, point transfers and a large bonus: Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

No annual fee: Bank of America® Travel Rewards credit card

Flat-rate travel rewards: Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card

Bonus travel rewards and high-end perks: Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Luxury perks: The Platinum Card® from American Express

Business travelers: Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

1x-5x 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases.

60,000 Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠.

1.5%-6.5% Enjoy 6.5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel; 4.5% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and 3% on all other purchases (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year). After your first year or $20,000 spent, enjoy 5% cash back on travel purchased through Chase Travel, 3% cash back on drugstore purchases and dining at restaurants, including takeout and eligible delivery service, and unlimited 1.5% cash back on all other purchases.

$300 Earn an additional 1.5% cash back on everything you buy (on up to $20,000 spent in the first year) - worth up to $300 cash back!

on Capital One's website

2x-5x Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, every day. Earn 5X miles on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel, where you'll get Capital One's best prices on thousands of trip options.

75,000 Enjoy a one-time bonus of 75,000 miles once you spend $4,000 on purchases within 3 months from account opening, equal to $750 in travel.

Ask Skift: Why Has Travel Gotten So Expensive?

Rashaad Jorden , Skift

July 17th, 2023 at 2:00 AM EDT

Travel is booming this summer despite flights and hotels becoming pricier for many consumers, and here's a look at a few reasons why trips aren't getting cheaper.

Rashaad Jorden

Travelers who made plans to hit the road this summer will likely notice the price of travel has gotten more expensive — in some cases, so expensive that many have decided to make changes to their planned trips . So why have hotel rates and airfaires increased from 2019 levels?

We turned to Ask Skift , our artificial intelligence chatbot, for answers to the question. Ask Skift used information appearing in our daily news stories, Skift Research and Airline Weekly. Here are the responses Ask Skift provided as well as more information we found about the reasons travel has gotten pricier.

Booming Travel Demand

Ask Skift said:

Travel has become more expensive due to a combination of factors. There is a strong demand for travel as people are eager to make up for time lost during the pandemic. As easyJet CEO Johan Lundgren stated in May 2023, “Travel is the only discretionary expense people are prepared to maintain or increase,” indicating a high consumer desire for travel experiences over goods.

The desire for travel, which grew during the pandemic, remains strong. This increased demand has led to a surge in travel rates, with costs now higher than before the pandemic .

What else you need to know:

Skift Research revealed in its U.S. Travel Tracker: Q1 2023 Highlights report that while roughly 70% of U.S. travelers surveyed had experienced higher travel prices while booking their personal trips, only about 5% of respondents said they would or had cut their travel spending.

Spending by overseas visitors to the U.S. has also been surging . International inbound travelers spent close to $16.8 billion on travel to, and tourism-related activities within, the U.S. in March 2023 — a 49% year-over-year increase.

As for the willingness of consumers to spend more on travel, travel organization AAA found that despite travelers paying between 40% and 50% more for flights this summer compared to last year, bookings hadn’t slowed down. Indeed, the TSA screened more than 2.8 million passengers on June 30 , the most ever on a single day.

Sky-high travel demand is one of the reasons airfares to and across Europe have risen between 15% and 50% for flights this summer. Italy’s Minister of Enterprises Adolfo Urso called out Italian airlines earlier this month for hiking airfares in response to the country’s travel boom, increases he argued weren’t “justified even by inflation.”

Moreover, economic uncertainty and inflation are impacting travel costs. A survey by the European Travel Commission in July 2023 highlighted that 24% of European travelers were concerned about the overall rise in trip costs , leading many to seek more affordable experiences or consider off-peak travel. Similarly, a survey by The Vacationer in June 2023 found that almost 64% of US travelers said surging prices were affecting their travel plans .

Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill wrote last month that the hotel sector has seen huge spikes in nightly rates compared to post-pandemic lows, “as rises in demand collided with strained supply from properties struggling to find and keep workers.”

Hotel rates in the U.S. rose 1.8% in May 2023 from the previous month, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Rates this May were also 3% higher from the same month last year.

Travelers have seen hotel rates surge in part because the cost of operating hotels has risen. Senior Research Analyst Seth Borko reported everything from fuel and heating to wages, to food costs, to laundry supplies has gotten more expensive.

“The inflation data suggests that most hoteliers are increasing their prices to keep pace with their rising costs,” he wrote.

However, the U.S. Department of Labor’s monthly Consumer Price Index report for June revealed inflation only went up 3% , the lowest level since March 2021 . The slowdown in inflation is causing airfares to drop — the average airfare fell 8.1% in June from May and 18.9% compared to June 2022.  

Airlines’ Surging Operational Costs

One reason is the increased operational costs for airlines due to changing travel patterns post-pandemic. As airlines adjust to the “new normal” by cutting flights, revamping networks, and increasing passenger capacity, these changes have led to increased operating costs and affected revenue.

American Airlines and United Airlines cut flights this spring in part because of an ongoing pilot shortage , an issue that has hit regional carriers in the U.S. hard, as well as aircraft delivery delays. Edward Russell, editor of Skift publication Airline Weekly, reported those difficulties — as well as the industry’s continued air traffic controller shortages — translates to a market where travel demand outstrips the supply of seats and airfares continuing rising.

American and United — as well as Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways — said earlier this year that the shortage of air traffic controllers was the reason they all cut flights in the New York City area this summer. The Federal Aviation Administration admitted in March it expected air traffic controller staffing to only be about 54% of required levels in the region.

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Tags: airfares , ask skift , inflation , Summer Travel Demand , travel inflation , U.S. travel demand

Photo credit: The rising cost of travel has been a source of frustration for many. Alina Rosanova / Getty Images

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Travel is Getting More Expensive. Here's How to Save on Your Summer Trip

From buying flight tickets to booking a hotel room, travel isn't cheap. Here are 6 tips to help you spend less on your summer getaway.

When I took a trip to Spain this past March, I realized something -- travel is back. The airports were sardine-packed and the plane seats were all full. Months later, though, the picture of what travel looks like for the rest of 2022 has snapped into sharper focus. The bottom line? It's expensive.

Airline cancellations and delays are skyrocketing , along with fuel costs . Those rising prices will affect road trips as well as flights. In fact, airfare costs rose by 12.6% in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The rebound in travel comes at a time when inflation has reached its highest point since 1981 . Climbing gas prices the world over are exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. Food costs are also higher , and global economies remain short-staffed as a result of the pandemic.

Yet 85% of Americans expect to travel this summer, according to the US Travel Association . If you're one of them, you'll want to use every tool you have to cut costs, whether you're hopping into a car, boat or plane. Here's how to save on travel despite the climbing costs.

Read more:   10 Road Trip Essentials for Summer Travel

Take advantage of COVID-era booking flexibility

Many COVID-related changes for airlines and hotels are here to stay. "Airlines have mostly removed the punitive change fees that had been a long-standing frustration with travelers," said Scott Mayerowitz, executive editor at CNET sister site The Points Guy . 

Now, most major airlines will allow you to change a flight without incurring fees for most domestic, Caribbean and Mexican destinations. Change fees, however, will still largely apply to international flights, Mayerowitz said, so keep this in mind if you're planning to travel farther abroad.

The same applies to flights booked using miles. Airlines used to charge a mile redeposit fee, Mayerowitz said. Now, you can book a flight directly with an airline using points and cancel with no penalty.

This mass elimination of change fees can be an opportunity to save money, said longtime globetrotter Stephanie Zito in an email. "Book early when tickets are cheaper," she said. "Then change or cancel if your plans change. If there happens to be a price decrease on what you booked, you can still cancel and rebook" at a lower price.

Basic economy is cheaper, but think twice before booking

While regular flights are getting easier to change or cancel due to COVID, basic economy tickets are becoming more restrictive. Basic economy tickets usually offer the lowest upfront prices, but they lack flexibility — you can't reschedule or cancel at all — and they charge extra fees for almost everything from bringing a carry-on to choosing a seat. And you'll most likely be one of the last passengers to board the plane.

It's important to keep this in mind because most booking portals, including those from airlines and credit card loyalty programs , will show you basic economy options first, stealthily sometimes. You might think you're getting a great deal, but if you read the fine print on that fare — as you always should with any travel booking — you'll realize you're painting yourself into an option that could cost more than you bargained for in the end. 

A quick search for flights from Austin, Texas, to Amsterdam in April on Kayak and Expedia showed me round-trip options between $560 and $612, which sounded pretty good for that route. But it was only after I selected the tickets that all the restrictions came to light. When I picked the standard economy option, the same trip's cost jumped up hundreds of dollars to $842 on both sites.

Travelers need to do their research first and be comfortable with restrictions they agree to. If you need to be flexible with your dates and can afford the extra cost of standard tickets, it may be a better value in the long run. 

Pack strategically to save money (yes, really)

Can the way you pack your bags save you money? Absolutely, though it depends on the situation.

If you're flying on an airline where you're not a loyalty member, packing everything you need into a carry-on bag could save you up to $30 per traveler for each leg of the trip. If you do check bags, doubling up so one large suitcase holds two people's clothing (particularly if you're a part of a family group) can halve your total costs in that department. 

While some airlines, like Delta , are experimenting with removing baggage fees to reduce delays, low-cost airline  Frontier  airline lowered its weight limit for checked bags to 40 pounds from 50 pounds — the industry standard. In this case, packing less could save you more. 

(Remember, many airline credit cards offer at least one free checked bag, plus priority boarding, as part of their benefits.)

Keep in mind when you check bags that you run the risk dealing with unexpected delays and lost luggage  — and in the worst case scenario, a night without your suitcase. 

You might want to bring more snacks, extra days' worth of medication and a spare change of clothes in your hand luggage, Mayerowitz suggested, in case your flight gets canceled or plans change. 

"Airlines are doing very big schedule changes to this day" and restaurants are not fully staffed in many places yet, he said: "As a traveler, you just need to be prepared for all sorts of scenarios." While some airlines will reimburse you for basic needs in certain circumstances, you'll largely be on your own for food, toiletries and additional comforts.

Redeem those points you've been sitting on

Thousands of travelers haven't gone on a trip since the pandemic started. If you're one of them, dipping into the reserves now is an easy way to save cash.

"There's just a massive stockpile of unused points and miles out there," Mayerowitz said. How many? Travelers accumulated over 27 billion unused miles by the end of 2020, according to a ValuePenguin study .

"I think the cost of flights in cash is rebounding a bit faster than the cost in points," said Emily Sherman, senior managing editor at education site Optimal and a self-proclaimed points and miles travel fanatic. "The cost of a flight in points is often more affordable than in cash, and you won't feel the sting of the charge hitting your account," Sherman said in an email.

Not all points structures are the same, and the longer the flight, generally the more points it costs. Still, dipping into your points reserve could help reduce the overall cost of travel while you save up for your next trip.

Join your favorite hotel's membership club

Signing up for a hotel loyalty program — such as Marriott Bonvoy , Hilton Honors or World of Hyatt  — can save you money in the long run in several key ways. Remember, these are bonuses that add up. I'm not talking about room upgrades, although those are always nice. Benefits like free faster Wi-Fi, complimentary breakfast, late checkout and additional bonus points have equivalent monetary value. 

Taking the family on a five-day trip now can help you earn toward a free night later in the year. And a room that gives you a 4 p.m. checkout instead of the usual 12 p.m. might save you money by using the hotel amenities longer before a late flight, compared to finding other activities to fill your time before heading to the airport.

Joining hotel loyalty programs is free and they usually offer discounted rates or guaranteed lowest prices to their members, but you'll have to book directly with the hotel to reap the rewards. Using a branded hotel credit card when booking directly with a hotel can help advance your rewards and savings even further.

Just keep in mind that benefits can vary by the hotel chain and individual property, so you're not guaranteed all benefits every time you travel. 

Say yes to alternative destinations — and low season

While millions of travelers stayed put during the first two years of the pandemic, many popular destinations that were sinking under the weight of tourism overcrowding — also known as overtourism — had the chance to rethink their approach to visitors. Cruise ships have now been formally banned from Venice's historic city center in Italy. Barcelona , Spain, has forbidden short-term private room rentals. Amsterdam, Netherlands,  has banned new hotels and souvenir shops in the city center. Other places like Dubrovnik, Croatia, and Machu Picchu, Peru, are taking similar measures in response to the potential massive return of tourists.

Choosing alternate destinations, traveling domestically and taking trips during the so-called shoulder season — the time between peak and off seasons — is a time-tested way to reduce the outflow of cash while you explore or relax.

Tools like Hopper and Google Flights can help home in on good deals at unexpected destinations, said Sherman, the avid points collector. "It's amazing how much you can save by traveling outside the normal tourist season," she said, "And there is usually still plenty to do at your destination."

Whether you travel domestically or plan to branch out further, make sure you stay updated on travel restrictions to avoid unexpected obstacles. If you're worried about uncertainty when planning a trip, you may consider travel insurance , which you can buy as a stand-alone policy or get through a travel credit card . This may give you some peace of mind while protecting you financially.

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• THE BIG IDEA

Why travel should be considered an essential human activity

Travel is not rational, but it’s in our genes. Here’s why you should start planning a trip now.

In 1961, legendary National Geographic photographer Volkmar Wentzel captured two women gazing at the surf off Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia. This and all the other images in this story come from the National Geographic image collection.

I’ve been putting my passport to good use lately. I use it as a coaster and to level wobbly table legs. It makes an excellent cat toy.

Welcome to the pandemic of disappointments. Canceled trips, or ones never planned lest they be canceled. Family reunions, study-abroad years, lazy beach vacations. Poof. Gone. Obliterated by a tiny virus, and the long list of countries where United States passports are not welcome.

Only a third of Americans say they have traveled overnight for leisure since March, and only slightly more, 38 percent, say they are likely to do so by the end of the year, according to one report. Only a quarter of us plan on leaving home for Thanksgiving, typically the busiest travel time. The numbers paint a grim picture of our stilled lives.

It is not natural for us to be this sedentary. Travel is in our genes. For most of the time our species has existed, “we’ve lived as nomadic hunter-gatherers moving about in small bands of 150 or fewer people,” writes Christopher Ryan in Civilized to Death . This nomadic life was no accident. It was useful. “Moving to a neighboring band is always an option to avoid brewing conflict or just for a change in social scenery,” says Ryan. Robert Louis Stevenson put it more succinctly: “The great affair is to move.”

What if we can’t move, though? What if we’re unable to hunt or gather? What’s a traveler to do? There are many ways to answer that question. “Despair,” though, is not one of them.

In this aerial view from 1967, wall-to-wall seaside sunbathers relax under umbrellas or on beach towels in Ocean City, Maryland .

A 1967 fall festival in Guadalajara, Mexico , starred traditionally costumed musicians and dancers.

We are an adaptive species. We can tolerate brief periods of forced sedentariness. A dash of self-delusion helps. We’re not grounded, we tell ourselves. We’re merely between trips, like the unemployed salesman in between opportunities. We pass the days thumbing though old travel journals and Instagram feeds. We gaze at souvenirs. All this helps. For a while.

We put on brave faces. “Staycation Nation,” the cover of the current issue of Canadian Traveller magazine declares cheerfully, as if it were a choice, not a consolation.

Today, the U.S. Travel Association, the industry trade organization, is launching a national recovery campaign called “ Let’s Go There .” Backed by a coalition of businesses related to tourism—hotels, convention and visitor bureaus, airlines—the initiative’s goal is to encourage Americans to turn idle wanderlust into actual itineraries.

The travel industry is hurting. So are travelers. “I dwelled so much on my disappointment that it almost physically hurt,” Paris -based journalist Joelle Diderich told me recently, after canceling five trips last spring.

(Related: How hard has the coronavirus hit the travel industry? These charts tell us.)

My friend James Hopkins is a Buddhist living in Kathmandu . You’d think he’d thrive during the lockdown, a sort-of mandatory meditation retreat. For a while he did.

But during a recent Skype call, James looked haggard and dejected. He was growing restless, he confessed, and longed “for the old 10-countries-a-year schedule.” Nothing seemed to help, he told me. “No matter how many candles I lit, or how much incense I burned, and in spite of living in one of the most sacred places in South Asia, I just couldn’t change my habits.”

When we ended our call, I felt relieved, my grumpiness validated. It’s not me; it’s the pandemic. But I also worried. If a Buddhist in Kathmandu is going nuts, what hope do the rest of us stilled souls have?

I think hope lies in the very nature of travel. Travel entails wishful thinking. It demands a leap of faith, and of imagination, to board a plane for some faraway land, hoping, wishing, for a taste of the ineffable. Travel is one of the few activities we engage in not knowing the outcome and reveling in that uncertainty. Nothing is more forgettable than the trip that goes exactly as planned.

Related: Vintage photos of the glamour of travel

Travel is not a rational activity. It makes no sense to squeeze yourself into an alleged seat only to be hurled at frightening speed to a distant place where you don’t speak the language or know the customs. All at great expense. If we stopped to do the cost-benefit analysis, we’d never go anywhere. Yet we do.

That’s one reason why I’m bullish on travel’s future. In fact, I’d argue travel is an essential industry, an essential activity. It’s not essential the way hospitals and grocery stores are essential. Travel is essential the way books and hugs are essential. Food for the soul. Right now, we’re between courses, savoring where we’ve been, anticipating where we’ll go. Maybe it’s Zanzibar and maybe it’s the campground down the road that you’ve always wanted to visit.

(Related: Going camping this fall? Here’s how to get started.)

James Oglethorpe, a seasoned traveler, is happy to sit still for a while, and gaze at “the slow change of light and clouds on the Blue Ridge Mountains” in Virginia, where he lives. “My mind can take me the rest of the way around this world and beyond it.”

It’s not the place that is special but what we bring to it and, crucially, how we interact with it. Travel is not about the destination, or the journey. It is about stumbling across “a new way of looking at things,” as writer Henry Miller observed. We need not travel far to gain a fresh perspective.

No one knew this better than Henry David Thoreau , who lived nearly all of his too-short life in Concord, Massachusetts. There he observed Walden Pond from every conceivable vantage point: from a hilltop, on its shores, underwater. Sometimes he’d even bend over and peer through his legs, marveling at the inverted world. “From the right point of view, every storm and every drop in it is a rainbow,” he wrote.

Thoreau never tired of gazing at his beloved pond, nor have we outgrown the quiet beauty of our frumpy, analog world. If anything, the pandemic has rekindled our affection for it. We’ve seen what an atomized, digital existence looks like, and we (most of us anyway) don’t care for it. The bleachers at Chicago ’s Wrigley Field; the orchestra section at New York City ’s Lincoln Center; the alleyways of Tokyo . We miss these places. We are creatures of place, and always will be.

After the attacks of September 11, many predicted the end of air travel, or at least a dramatic reduction. Yet the airlines rebounded steadily and by 2017 flew a record four billion passengers. Briefly deprived of the miracle of flight, we appreciated it more and today tolerate the inconvenience of body scans and pat-downs for the privilege of transporting our flesh-and-bone selves to far-flung locations, where we break bread with other incarnate beings.

Landscape architects work in their Rio de Janeiro, Brazil , studio in 1955.

A tourist photographs a towering century plant in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, in 1956.

In our rush to return to the world, we should be mindful of the impact of mass tourism on the planet. Now is the time to embrace the fundamental values of sustainable tourism and let them guide your future journeys. Go off the beaten path. Linger longer in destinations. Travel in the off-season. Connect with communities and spend your money in ways that support locals. Consider purchasing carbon offsets. And remember that the whole point of getting out there is to embrace the differences that make the world so colorful.

“One of the great benefits of travel is meeting new people and coming into contact with different points of view,” says Pauline Frommer, travel expert and radio host.

So go ahead and plan that trip. It’s good for you, scientists say . Plotting a trip is nearly as enjoyable as actually taking one. Merely thinking about a pleasurable experience is itself pleasurable. Anticipation is its own reward.

I’ve witnessed first-hand the frisson of anticipatory travel. My wife, not usually a fan of travel photography, now spends hours on Instagram, gazing longingly at photos of Alpine lodges and Balinese rice fields. “What’s going on?” I asked one day. “They’re just absolutely captivating,” she replied. “They make me remember that there is a big, beautiful world out there.”

Many of us, myself included, have taken travel for granted. We grew lazy and entitled, and that is never good. Tom Swick, a friend and travel writer, tells me he used to view travel as a given. Now, he says, “I look forward to experiencing it as a gift.”

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• 'It took three months to save enough for my trip': It's fun - but going travelling can be expensive and risky, so mind the gap (year)

By Esther Shaw, Financial Mail On Sunday

Updated: 12:37 EDT, 7 February 2024

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A gap year spent travelling overseas offers school-leavers or graduates a taste of adventure before heading off to university or settling down to the world of work. Many of those taking time out abroad may want to volunteer, learn a language or gain work experience.

According to the Association of British Travel Agents, Thailand, Australia, Vietnam, Peru and New Zealand all feature high on the current list of top gap-year destinations.

Nick White, from the association, says: ‘The cliched image of a gap year as a year-long party is rapidly losing ground as many use it as an opportunity to gain work experience on internships or in paid employment. Volunteering trips are also popular.’ But while a gap year should provide positive experiences, it is essential to do your research and plan your finances thoroughly to get the most out of your time away.

Here is our survival guide for people preparing to pack their bags. 

Savvy: Patrick Walker used a pre-paid Caxton FX card

IT TOOK THREE MONTHS TO SAVE ENOUGH FOR MY TRIP 

Patrick Walker put a lot of planning into his recent gap year to the US and South America to ensure his funds would last the distance. The 19-year-old returned home to just outside Swindon in Wiltshire in April after a busy stint abroad.

For the first three months, Patrick volunteered in Manchester, New Hampshire, on the Hillary Clinton Presidential campaign. He then spent three months teaching at remote schools in Peru.

He says: ‘After leaving school, I got a job at the local pub so I could save up money for my travels. It took me around three months to save up enough.

‘I did quite a lot of forward planning, including research into the living costs in the countries I wanted to visit, and that helped me plan my budget accordingly.’

When it came to organising his travel money, Patrick opted for a Caxton FX prepaid card. He adds: ‘This meant I could lock into a competitive exchange rate. I was then able to withdraw money in a range of currencies while away. I also took dollars with me, which I bought from the Post Office.’

Patrick shopped around for a competitively-priced insurance policy, and kept his mobile phone costs down by getting a local SIM card while he was in New Hampshire.

He heads off to York University later this month to study politics and international relations.

When planning for a stint abroad, the first task is to research the cost of getting to – and living in – your chosen destination. This should include the amount needed to cover flights, accommodation, transfers, taxes and food.

Andrew Hagger, financial expert at money website Moneycomms, says: ‘Once you have worked out the anticipated cost of your gap year, divide this total by the number of months you have until you are due to head overseas. This will show you how much you need to put aside each month.’

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• Cut the cost of holiday spending: Get a free pre-paid currency exchange card with £10 top-up

It is then down to you to work out how to get this money together. While the bulk of your travel fund might come from taking on a part-time job, you can also look at other ways to boost your earnings. This could include selling old DVDs and mobile phones (try website Musicmagpie), or by taking part in surveys (through websites Swagbucks and Surveys).

You might also be lucky enough to get financial support from your family.

Hagger adds: ‘The best financial step to take is to open an instant-access savings account. You may not earn much interest, but it is important to keep your travel fund separate from your day-to-day money.’

Ellie-Kate Fallon cut back considerably on her spending in her final year at Leeds University to save for her gap year. The 21-year-old, who has just graduated with a first in chemistry, will go to Chile in February next year.

She says: ‘I did not socialise as much in my final year and when I did go out, I got jobs handing out flyers for events. This meant I got both free entry and taxi rides, saving me around £30 a night.’

Ellie-Kate is now living back at home, and doing all she can to build her gap-year fund – including three weeks of work at the recent golf Open Championship in Royal Birkdale.

She says: ‘Working at sports competitions is a great way to save for the short-term as you get a lot of hours during the event without being tied into a contract for months.

‘In addition, I earn a bit of extra cash working as an internet moderator. I do this job from home whenever I want. I will also be able to do it when I am travelling, meaning I can boost my funds while away.’

Ellie-Kate is booking her flights to Chile with STA Travel, a gap-year specialist, and will book her first few hotels in advance. She will organise the rest of her accommodation as she goes along.

While abroad, she plans on keeping a budget spreadsheet to make sure her money lasts. She will take out Post Office ‘Backpackers’ travel insurance and has a Travelex prepaid card which she will load before her trip.

She adds: ‘I will also buy a bit of each currency that I need from the Post Office before leaving the UK. I have a mobile phone contract with Vodafone, but plan on having my data turned off as much as possible, and instead using free wi-fi spots.’

BUDGETING WHILE AWAY 

It might not sound fun but you need to carry out some careful cash-flow planning during your travels.

The key is to avoid throwing caution to the wind and piling up huge debts that you cannot afford to pay on your return.

Hagger says: ‘Try to set a weekly or monthly allowance – and be disciplined about sticking to it. The last thing you want is to run out of cash halfway through your trip.’

Register for online banking so you can keep tabs on your money on your phone or tablet, wherever you are in the world.

Do not forget that working abroad is a good way to make a gap year more affordable. Websites such as Escapethecity list paid job opportunities around the world. But bear in mind that it is not always as straightforward as turning up and finding a job. You will need to check on visas and permits in advance. Try websites Gapyear and Gapwork.

TRAVEL MONEY 

Once you have the beginnings of an itinerary, you can start thinking about how to take your travel money.

One of the best options is a prepaid card that you can load before you go – and then use to withdraw cash in a range of currencies.

Top picks include cards from FairFX , Caxton FX, WeSwap , Revolut and Monzo .

With a prepaid card, you can lock into competitive exchange rates, which could be an advantage if the pound falls.

While some do not levy charges, others come with replacement fees, monthly administration fees, top-up charges, withdrawal fees and fees for spending – so check before signing up.

THIS IS MONEY'S FIVE OF THE BEST HOLIDAY MONEY DEALS

Starling Bank's current account allows free purchases and cash withdrawals abroad. The bank also offers up to 0.05% interest on balances up to £85,000. The account is managed by smartphone app only.

The American Express Premium Plus Credit Card offers a 25,000 free Avios boost when you spend £3,000 in the first six months after opening. It pays 1.5 Avios per £1 spent and carries a £195 annual fee. 74.7% APR.

Metro Bank will not charge you for using your card or withdrawing money from an ATM in Europe, but it will charge 2.99 per cent on both card purchases and ATM withdrawals (plus a £1.50 fee for the latter) for the rest of the world.

FairFX is offering This is Money readers a free prepaid Mastercard currency card . It offers highly competitive exchange rates, no foreign transaction fees and low cash withdrawal charges abroad. Comes with a £10 bonus when you top up.

Santander's Zero Mastercard credit card offers fee-free spending and cash withdrawals worldwide, with 0% interest on all purchases for 12 months from account opening. Representative APR of 18.9 per cent.

Once you have got a card, think about giving your parents the account information so they can top it up for you in an emergency. If you are taking foreign currency, do not buy it at the airport as rates will be poor.

Moneysavingexpert’s Travelmoneymax online tool – or app – can help you find the best rates locally.

QUICK MONEY-SAVER: TRAVEL MONEY 

Heading abroad? Make sure you sidestep hefty bank fees on your holiday spending. 

Most credit and debit cards will charge hefty fees of around 3 per cent for foreign transactions, with extra charges for withdrawing cash abroad.

There are several current accounts and credit cards which offer reduced fees or waive overseas charges altogether .

 Alternatively you could consider a prepaid currency card.

FairFX is offering This is Money and MailOnline readers a free MasterCard prepaid card, which usually costs £9.95.   

For more help deciding on the best method for you, check out our guide  here. 

If you are set on taking a credit card avoid being hit by steep charges for cash withdrawals and purchases by using one specifically designed for use overseas – such as Halifax Clarity or Post Office Platinum.

Once abroad, always insist on paying in the local currency – even if you are given the option of paying in pounds. This means you will not fall victim to a practice known as ‘dynamic currency conversion’, where an uncompetitive exchange rate is applied.

CHEAP DESTINATIONS 

With the pound weak against many major currencies, your gap-year savings will not go as far as they once did.

To help combat this, look at destinations where the pound goes that little bit further – and consider countries where living costs are not too expensive. According to the latest cost-of-living index from currency specialist FairFX, the cheapest places to visit as part of your gap-year travels include Argentina, Russia, Brazil, South Africa, Japan, Indonesia, Tanzania, Malaysia, Australia and Chile.

This is based on a combination of exchange rates and everyday costs, including the price of hostels, food, transport and essentials such as coffee, mobile phone usage and alcohol.

For example, in Argentina the pound has improved by 205 per cent over the past five years, meaning that travellers will get an additional £673 worth of currency for every £1,000 they exchange. When it comes to the cheapest options based purely on the cost of living, the FairFX findings show Tanzania is the cheapest at just £21.74 a day, followed by Argentina (£34.87) and Malaysia (£37.84).

Separate research from Caxton FX, another currency specialist, also puts Argentina top of the list of destinations where sterling still offers good value for money – along with Mongolia and Egypt.

Rupert Lee Browne, of Caxton FX, says: ‘With the pound currently so weak against many currencies, it is worth considering destinations off the tourist trail where costs are lower. But this kind of adventure is not without risk and it is important to check the latest travel advice from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office.’

GET COVERED 

Latest research from comparison website Comparethemarket reveals that more than a third of those taking gap years are set to do so without travel insurance – meaning 27,000 students are putting themselves at risk should they fall ill or get injured overseas.

Stephanie Corbett, from the website, says: ‘Given that a quarter of previous gap-year travellers have had an accident where an insurance claim was necessary, the high number of travellers without cover is concerning.’

If you are looking for gap-year insurance, the good news is that insurers cater for the adventurous traveller. Kevin Pratt, insurance expert at website Moneysupermarket, says: ‘Remember that the cheapest policies will not necessarily provide you with the level of cover needed for a lengthy stay overseas, or for extreme sports. At the same time, cover does not need to break the bank.

YOUR CHECKLIST OF ESSENTIALS 

• Check the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website (gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice) for the ‘do’s and don’ts’ of the country you are visiting.
• Ensure you have a passport that will remain valid for your entire trip.
• Make sure you have required jabs and inoculations at least eight weeks before travel.
• Book through a reputable gap-year travel company and make sure the firm is ABTA or ATOL registered.
• Keep scanned copies of your important documents online. Also leave copies at home with a family member.
• Keep a list of emergency numbers in a safe place.
• Research your destination carefully. This includes local laws, driving and culture.

‘You can buy 12 months’ worldwide cover for around £150, while six-month policies cost around £80.’

When searching for quotes, check you are covered for all the destinations you want to visit – and all the activities you want to try.

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Get Ready: Travel Is Becoming More Expensive and More Exclusive

By Jason Cochran

10/27/2020, 7:00 AM

The warning signs are everywhere. You will soon be paying more to travel.

The headlines are full of news about the airlines cutting capacity. In Europe, Ryanair will fly only 40% of what it flew a year ago. Next summer, Icelandair's capacity will be down about 30% from 2019.

We could list many more examples from around the world, but the bottom line is the same: There are fewer seats in the skies. And for any self-sustaining business, limited supply means higher prices. Dollar Flight Club recently released a study predicting that although fares may go down during the Covid-19 crisis, they may balloon by as much as 27% in the subsequent recovery period.

It would be foolish to interpret headlines about some airlines'  gradual financial recovery  as proof of the recovery of mass travel. Wall Street is not Main Street. The measure of an airline's profit is its ability to squeeze cash out of the business it gets, not to increase availability of its product to all.  

The same thing is happening in cruising. In a recent industry panel discussion, the chiefs of the major U.S. cruise lines all agreed that price jumps are in the future , partly because the lines have been forced to scrap some ships , and partly because pent-up demand is expected to snatch up availability for years to come.

Even if you can afford to travel, doing so safely requires obtaining a new Covid-19 test for legal entry to many places, including Hawaii . But because of the failure of the United States government to come up with a system for quick, cheap testing, travelers are being forced to pay independent labs to deliver the results in time for their flights.

That adds another $250 to the cost of a trip  to Hawaii on United Airlines out of San Francisco or $150 out of Los Angeles, to take two examples.

Covid isn't only adding expenses in the U.S. In the major British pharmacy chain Boots, the price of a rapid test that satisfies border control agents is £120 (US $160) .

Before the middle of the 20th century, travel was a luxury that only the wealthy could pursue. Developments such as jet planes, low-cost carriers, and the publication of Frommer's own Europe on $5 a Day  helped average people access their right to see the world. Now, as businesses and the economy alike contract, people without means are at risk of being excluded once again.

Writing for the Australian publication Traveller , journalist Tim Richards suggests we should seize the moment to get rid of the no-frills carriers. "Flying is awful," Richards argues , "so why should we resurrect this model after the pandemic has passed?" 

The notion that we should use this period to reimagine the way we approach the indignities of travel isn't a bad one. Overtourism and carbon emissions are serious problems that must be dealt with.

But it's not safe to assume our previous travel model can be resurrected at all. Even if travel could magically return to where it was, our bank accounts can't. Many of us have lost our jobs and tapped into our savings to get through 2020. Disposable incomes, which make vacation travel possible, are drying up.

The flagging economy, paired with higher prices, might end up handling many of the hard choices for us.

Even after we receive medical clearance to resume travel, we won't be taking to the skies in the numbers we did so before. Some of us will be left behind.

Diminished capacity, reduced competition, and, most of all, emptier pockets—it all adds up to declining travel volume, and that means higher prices.

The glory days of cheap and easy travel are over, at least for now. 

For many of us, the future of tourism will hinge on our ability to stretch a dollar. We must prepare to make our vacation plans more measured and more intentional.

(Pictured above:  Concarneau, France )

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I visited Aspen, the most expensive vacation destination in America, for the first time. Here are 13 things that surprised me.

• At the start of the 2021 ski season, I visited one of the US' most expensive ski towns: Aspen, Colorado.
• Aspen is a luxury playground for the rich and famous where property sells for $8,000 a square foot.
•  After spending a few days here, I thought it lived up to its wealthy reputation.

Nestled in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, Aspen is a small ski town known for vacationers with big budgets.

In April 2024, Travel and Leisure published the findings from an OptimosTravel study , which analyzed the cost of vacationing in more than 100 US vacation spots. At the top of the list was Aspen, with vacationers spending an average of $761.39 per person per day in the town. 

And it's not the first time Aspen has made its mark as an expensive place to live and vacation. In 2022, Aspen was the world's most expensive ski town based on the listing price for prime ski property, according to Engel & Völkers , a global real-estate company. In 2023, the ski outlet SnowBrains named Aspen the most expensive ski town in the US. 

Each winter, celebrities flock to the town to show off designer ski gear on the town's snowy slopes. I joined them in December 2021 and gained a taste of the town's lavish lifestyle. 

At the start of the 2021 ski season, I headed to Aspen, where I discovered coffee shops selling prosecco and dog food on room-service menus. It added to the luxury and charm of Aspen, but I also found some surprisingly affordable things, too.

By the end of my trip, I learned that luxury is all in the details . It's when your hotel room has real plants instead of fake ones and when restaurants opt for cloth napkins over paper.

Those tiny elements cast a surprising spotlight on how Aspen had become such an expensive place to live and vacation. Here are the things that shocked me the most.

I grew up in Florida, so it may just be my roots showing, but I didn't expect people to be walking around the town in designer ski boots with skis perched on their shoulders.

As I booked my trip, I noticed that many hotels advertised themselves as ski-in, ski-out. I'd never skied before the trip, so I hadn't realized how literal that term was until I visited Aspen.

From my hotel room, I could walk just a few hundred feet and be at the base of Aspen Mountain, where I'd have access to 87 ski trails.

But even if people weren't staying in a ski-in, ski-out accommodation, they still seemed to be trekking across the town in their ski gear. Everywhere I looked in Aspen, people were heading to the lifts in their ski boots or were just off the slopes and biking home with their snowboards in tow.

Most of my waiters and waitresses could casually list off celebrities they said they'd met.

Celebrities flock to Aspen each winter, but I was surprised at how willing and eager restaurant servers were to share their celebrity sightings.

At the White House Tavern , one waitress told me she sent the musician Leon Bridges to the bar and mentioned Dua Lipa had recently stopped by for a meal.

At Ajax Tavern , our waiter said he'd seen A-listers, including Neil Patrick Harris, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Katy Perry.

"In the winter, you're going to see celebrities every day," my waitress at the sushi restaurant Matsuhisa casually mentioned.

I knew to expect mansions, but touring Aspen's real estate gave me an entirely new look into how billionaires live.

During my trip, I met up with three real-estate agents who took me inside mansions listed between $27 million and $51 million. 

I quickly learned that seeing an online listing for $44.5 million is entirely different than stepping inside a house priced that high.

In Aspen Park , I toured a sprawling 15,000-square-foot home listed by agent Carrie Wells. Inside the primary bedroom was an oxygen system that pumps air into the room to mimic different sea levels and reduce the effects of altitude sickness — a luxury that I didn't even know existed. 

At The Peak House , Compass real-estate agent Heidi Houston walked me through a mansion listed for $45 million. One unique feature of the home was a secret bedroom and passageway that was built for the original owner's mistress .

These were amenities I couldn't dream of having in my own home. 

I was shocked to find a coffee shop's fridge stocked with prosecco.

I was surprised to see miniature bottles of the bubbly next to cold-brew cans and coconut water in a coffee shop.

The shop also stocked orange juice, so, in theory, customers could make their own mimosas before the café closed at 2 p.m.

Other stores with luxe offerings also surprised me. For example, I popped into a store that sold cannabis next to $92,000 jewelry.

I knew designer stores would fill Aspen's streets. I expected to stumble into Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton, but I didn't expect to find such ritzy dispensaries .

Then, I went to Dalwhinnie Farms. The dispensary calls itself a "boutique," and alongside rows of cannabis flower and pre-rolled joints are crystal glassware, cashmere, leather, and jewelry. 

The dispensary was far from what I'm familiar with in my current home in Denver. There weren't any barred windows, weed-themed puns, or neon lights. Instead, it was elegant and seamlessly fit in with the designer brands that sandwiched the storefront.

Overall, it seemed as if Aspen took special care with its outdoor amenities. Water fountains and bicycle stations were covered for the winter season, which I'd never seen before.

I'd never seen a town protect its water fountains and bicycle stations the way Aspen does in the winter.

I'm more familiar with winter in New York City , where you can rent Citi Bikes year-round and Central Park's water fountains end up covered in snow.

In Aspen, the bicycle rideshares close, the bikes are stored away, and plastic covers are placed on the docking stations.

The same goes for the water fountains. Each water station I saw in Aspen had a snug cover protecting it from the colder temps.

Even the tiny, free libraries dotting the town felt like an upgrade, with hard-to-find New York Times bestsellers there for the taking.

I'm used to seeing Free Little Libraries, which are like mailboxes filled with free books, across my neighborhood in Denver. But I'm not used to them being filled with books that have sat on my Goodreads wish list for months.

After peeking inside the free library, I saw a copy of "The Vanishing Half," a book that's topped The New York Times bestseller list .

Any book that popular would be gone in a free library in Denver in minutes, I thought. 

Art galleries filled nearly every street in the town.

A few Aspen locals gushed to me about how their town was known for so much more than skiing.

They bragged about the Aspen Art Museum's exhibit on Andy Warhol and listed off the small galleries filling practically every town block.

While Aspen is known for its nature, I was surprised to discover an equally strong emphasis on the arts.

I didn't expect there to be so much focus on food in Aspen, but my list of restaurant recommendations was long enough to last a season.

No matter who I spoke with as I explored Aspen, everyone seemed to know every restaurant in town, whether it was a luxury real-estate agent or a bellhop. 

And almost every local I spoke with had a favorite.

I was urged to go to Clark's for seafood and told Steak House No. 316 served the best steak. A trip to Aspen wouldn't be complete without tasting sushi from Matsuhisa or having the wagyu burger at Ajax Tavern , I was told.

Food was clearly a significant part of the Aspen experience , I quickly learned.

While I wasn't surprised to see dogs in designer outfits walking the brick streets of Aspen, I was shocked to find dog food on a hotel menu.

As my stomach growled on my first night in Aspen, I eyed the room-service menu at my hotel, the five-star Little Nell .

A $21 French toast and a $25 Cobb salad were available and priced as expected, but there was also food available for four-legged friends. The menu advertised "Canine Delights Daily, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m."

The meals, which were served in dog-friendly bowls, included carrots, brown rice, scrambled eggs, and the owner's choice of protein and cost $19.

Though I expected pricey meals, I also discovered some affordable eats.

Within minutes after I arrived in Aspen, a sign advertising $8 burgers lured me into Aspen Pie Shop, a restaurant selling pizza, burgers, and sandwiches. 

I enjoyed a $6 slice of pizza knowing that Aspen isn't just home to $25 entreés and $20 cocktails was a relief.

While the Aspen Pie Shop has since closed, later during my trip and on future trips, I've continued to find affordable eats such as a $9 sub or an $8 shot-and-beer drink deal.

Groceries also seemed to be reasonably priced.

My friend tagged along for the trip, and on our first night, we walked over to City Market, a part of the Kroger grocery chain, to grab a few snacks and breakfast items for the week. 

We expected Aspen's groceries to be pricier than we were used to in Denver, but the prices were surprisingly comparable to what I buy back home at King Soopers, another Kroger chain.

For example, I often spend more than $1.25 per avocado and a $1 onion didn't catch me off guard. Other snacks, like chips and pretzels, felt similarly priced as well.

After a day in Aspen, I realized why the town felt so quaint. No building was higher than six stories, making way for stunning views.

I spent my first day in Aspen debating whether it was the snowy slopes or brick sidewalks that gave the town its charming appeal. 

Then I realized it was the lack of skyscrapers — or really any tall building for that matter. I noticed that the vast majority of buildings in Aspen were just two or three stories high, and as a result, I always had unobstructed views of the sky and mountains.

I left the ski town with a new sense of how the rich and famous vacation and live. But even after stepping into a luxe dispensary and touring a $45 million mansion, I left confident that the everyday traveler can visit Aspen, too.

From food to real estate, my trip to Aspen was filled with luxury surprises around every corner. 

I left the ritzy ski town aware that it isn't a cheap place to vacation but that it's also surprisingly not unattainable for the everyday traveler like me.

Between affordable beer-and-shot combos, meal planning, and cheap pizza slices, I'd happily plan a trip back — although I likely won't be able to afford a hotel that offers canine delights on its room-service menu.

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US man returns from Europe to $143,000 T-Mobile bill for using phone overseas

Gigantic bill apparently reflected using 9.5 gigabytes of data on a phone that had not been set up for international roaming

A Florida man was stunned to come back from a European trip and – upon checking his phone bill – realize that he had been charged a staggering $143,000 by his phone company for using his device while overseas.

ABC Action News reported that Rene Remund and his wife had toured Switzerland last September and had even gone to a T-Mobile store to share his travel plan with his phone provider before leaving.

But the gigantic bill apparently reflected using some 9.5 gigabytes of data while overseas on a phone that had not been set up for international roaming.

Remund told ABC that he called T-Mobile and waited on hold while the charges were examined and the person he spoke with informed him that the bill was not a mistake and that he was liable for it.

Remund replied: “You’re kidding me?”

He then hired a lawyer, who contacted ABC for help. Shortly after T-Mobile were contacted by ABC, the company offered to credit Remund’s account.

T-Mobile told ABC : “We recommend our customers check the travel features of their plan, such as international data roaming, before departing … if a customer is on an older plan that doesn’t include international roaming for data and calling, they’ll need to make sure they’re using airplane mode and wifi when using data to be certain the device doesn’t connect to an international network.”

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The most expensive u.s. vacation spot—according to a 2024 report.

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The J-Bar at Hotel Jerome in Aspen, an iconic spot to have a cocktail while visiting this posh ... [+] Colorado vacation destination.

Love to travel to the most posh places? A new analysis from travel experts at the blog OptimosTravel ranks Aspen—a mountain town in Colorado—the most expensive U.S. vacation destination.

For travelers looking to spend a pretty penny, there’s plenty of ways to do just that in Aspen: A hulking tomahawk ribeye for two ($150) with blue cheese bone marrow butter at Steakhouse No. 316; a Christmas-week stay in the ski-in, ski-out Little Nell in a luxury suite (starting at $2,719 a night), and a shopping spree at some of the town’s luxury stores like Gucci, Prada, and Hermès.

But because Aspen is an outdoor lover’s paradise, there’s plenty of ways to enjoy the hiking trails and open spaces for free or for the cost of a parking permit if you’re visiting Maroon Bells, a popular hiking and photography spot where bell-shaped peaks reflect into a lake.

An autumn view of the snow-coated Maroon Bells reflecting in crystal clear Maroon Lake, Aspen, ... [+] Colorado.

As part of its analysis, the experts at OptimosTravel say they analyzed more than 100 well-known destinations across the country, taking into account popular travel expenses like meals, public transportation, room rates, and attraction fees.

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On a clear day with no traffic delays, it takes about 3 1/2 hours to drive from Denver to Aspen. But many fly into the Aspen/Pitken County Airport, with United Airlines, Delta, and American Airlines serving the airport.

“Aspen's breathtaking scenery comes with a premium price tag,” the study says.

Why Is Aspen So Famous?

Aspen is most famous for its skiing, with runs spread across four mountains: Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, and Buttermilk.

The alpine ski village is also a known winter playground for celebs like Justin and Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Mariah Carey, Rihanna, Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell, Elton John, Kevin Costner, and many more.

ASPEN, CO - DECEMBER 29: Kevin Costner is seen on December 29, 2023 in Aspen, Colorado. (Photo by ... [+] BG041/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Aspen has a rich history, too, from its silver mining boom in the late 1800s to the World War II veterans imaging the ski runs on Aspen Mountain.

Is Aspen An Expensive City?

Silver Queen ski Gondola on Aspen Mountain

Aspen is an expensive city to live in and visit. The average home value in Aspen is $3.47 million, according to figures from Zillow.

According to OptimosTravel, visitors should expect to spend roughly $761.39 per day while in town. But like all ski towns, seasonality is a major factor influencing how much a vacation in Aspen will cost. Room rates are higher during peak ski season and over the holidays, and reservations are tougher to snag during those busy times.

But in the summer, you can find better deals on hotels and even save by camping in scenic spots like the Elk Mountains, where there’s wildflower fields, alpine lakes, and star-studded skies above.

Aspen also has fun free things to do: Admission is free to the Aspen Art Museum and the John Denver Sanctuary near the Roaring Fork River is a nice spot for a picnic after you’ve browsed the singer's lyrics that are etched into boulders.

J-Bar at Hotel Jerome.

The must-try tipple while in town is the Aspen Crud, a bourbon-spiked milkshake at Hotel Jerome’s J-Bar . It originated during Prohibition, a rebellious drink disguised as a soda fountain dessert. The historic property has hosted everyone from 10th Mountain Division solders who trained on the nearby slopes to Hunter S. Thompson, who would hold court here during his run for sheriff.

What are the Most Expensive Vacations in the U.S.?

According to the new study from OptimosTravel, these are the top 10 most expensive U.S. vacation spots and the estimates of the cost per person, per day to vacation in these cities.

No. 1: Aspen, Colorado

Daily Cost: $761.39

Aspen, Colorado

No. 2: Park City, Utah

Daily Cost: $710.08

Park City, Utah

No. 3: Maui, Hawaii

Daily Cost: $680.24

Road to Hana in Maui, Hawaii

No. 4: Montauk, New York

Daily Cost: $617.65

Montauk Point Lighthouse

No. 5: Santa Monica, California

Daily Cost: $592.62

Santa Monica Pier in California.

No. 6: Key West, Florida

Daily Cost: $536.67

Key West, Florida

No. 7: Charleston, South Carolina

Daily Cost: $535.68

Charleston, South Carolina

No. 8: New York City, New York

Daily Cost: $511.74

New York City

No. 9: Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts

Daily Cost: $499.25

Gay Head Light and Aquinnah Cliffs at Martha's Vineyard, MA.

No. 10: Jackson Hole, Wyoming

Daily Cost: $489.67

Jackson Wyoming and Teton Valley

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This Ski Resort Town Was Just Named the Most Expensive Vacation Destination in the U.S.

You may want to start saving up for that vacation right now.

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The average cost of a one-week vacation in the U.S. for just one person hit nearly $2,000 in 2023, up by more than $400 over the previous year, according to a study by Bankrate . And this is just for a basic trip. But if you're hoping to go to places like New York City , you're going to spend a pretty penny, as it was just named the eighth most expensive destination in America. 

The travel experts at OptimosTravel recently analyzed more than 100 vacation spots in the United States, assessing each on the price of a daily meal, public transit, accommodation rates, and attraction fees, all in an effort to uncover the 10 most expensive vacation destinations in the nation. After crunching the numbers, it found that Aspen, Colorado, is the most expensive of all. 

"Aspen, Colorado, tops the list as the most expensive vacation spot, with a total daily cost of $761.39 per person, leading to a whopping $5,329.72 for a 7-day trip per person," the team noted in its findings, which it shared with Travel + Leisure.

The research crew noted that gourmet meals can cost upward of $100.5 per day, while "opulent accommodations" cost $494.56 per night. "Aspen's breathtaking scenery comes with a premium price tag," it added, "and for a family of four, the skies are the limit at $13,691. Even with modest transportation costs at $7, the city's unmatched offerings ensure its status as the epitome of luxury travel." 

Joining Aspen at the top of the most expensive list is Park City, Utah, in second, where travelers can expect to pay $93.75 for daily meals and $471 per night for lodging. "A week's stay costs $4,971 for one and $12,632 for a family of four," the team shared.

Maui, Hawaii, wasn't far behind in third, with a daily cost of $682. "It boasts the highest meals ($112.50) and lodging ($534.11) among top destinations, but affordable attractions ($26.63) balance the cost. A week costs $4,762 solo or $10,782 for families." 

These spots were followed by Montauk, New York, in fourth, with a daily cost of $613.77; Santa Monica, California, in fifth with a daily cost of $592.05; Key West, Florida in sixth, with a daily cost of $537; Charleston in seventh with a daily cost of $535.68; and New York City in eighth with a daily cost of $511.34.

Rounding out the top 10 is Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts in ninth with a daily cost of $496.65, and one more ski town, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, in 10th, with a daily cost of $490 per day. And while, yes, this all sounds expensive, you can't really put a price tag on making new memories. Right? See the full findings at optimostravel.com .

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America’s Foreign Vacations Tell Us Something About the U.S. Economy

Prices are high, but Americans are opening their wallets for international flights and hotels. It’s the latest evidence of consumer resilience.

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By Jeanna Smialek

This story was reported from Paris, London and Washington.

Forget Emily. These days, a whole flood of Americans are in Paris.

People spent 2020 and 2021 either cooped up at home or traveling sparingly and mostly within the continental United States. But after Covid travel restrictions were lifted for international trips last summer, Americans are again headed overseas.

While domestic leisure travel shows signs of calming — people are still vacationing in big numbers, but prices for hotels and flights are moderating as demand proves strong but not insatiable — foreign trips are snapping back with a vengeance. Americans are boarding planes and cruise ships to flock to Europe in particular, based on early data.

According to estimates from AAA, international travel bookings for 2023 were up 40 percent from 2022 through May. That is still down about 2 percent from 2019, but it’s a hefty surge at a time when some travelers are being held back by long passport processing delays amid record-high applications. Tour and cruise bookings are expected to eclipse prepandemic highs, with especially strong demand for vacations to major European cities.

Paris, for example, experienced a huge jump in North American tourists last year compared with 2021, according to the city’s tourism bureau. Planned air arrivals for July and August of this year climbed by another 14.4 percent — to nearly 5 percent above the 2019 level.

“This year is just completely crazy,” said Steeve Calvo, a Parisian tour guide and sommelier whose company — The Americans in Paris — has been churning out visits to Normandy and French wine regions. He attributes some of the jump to a rebound from the pandemic and some to television shows and social media.

“‘Emily in Paris’: I never saw so many people in Paris with red berets,” he said, noting that the signature chapeau of the popular Netflix show’s heroine started to pop up on tourists last year. Other newcomers are eager to take coveted photos for their Instagram pages.

“In Versailles, the Hall of Mirrors, I call it the Hall of Selfie,” Mr. Calvo said, referring to a famous room in the palace.

Robust travel booking numbers and anecdotes from tour guides align with what companies say they are experiencing: From airlines to American Express, corporate executives are reporting a lasting demand for flights and vacations.

“The constructive industry backdrop is unlike anything that any of us have ever seen,” Ed Bastian, the chief executive officer at Delta Air Lines, said during a June 27 investor day . “Travel is going gangbusters, but it’s going to continue to go gangbusters because we still have an enormous amount of demand waiting.”

Transportation Security Administration data shows that the daily average number of passengers who passed through U.S. airport checkpoints in June 2023 was 2.6 million, 0.5 percent above the June 2019 level, based on an analysis by Omair Sharif at Inflation Insights.

And in many foreign airports, the burst of American vacationers is palpable: Customs lines are packed with U.S. tourists, from Paris’s Charles de Gaulle to London’s Heathrow. The latter saw 8 percent more traffic from North America in June 2023 than in June 2019, based on airport data.

In a weird way, the rebound in foreign travel may be taking some pressure off U.S. inflation.

International flight prices, while surging for some routes, are not a big part of the U.S. Consumer Price Index, which is dominated by domestic flight prices. In fact, airfares in the inflation measure dropped sharply in June from the previous month and are down nearly 19 percent from a year ago.

That is partly because fuel is cheaper and partly because airlines are getting more planes into the sky. Many pilots and air traffic controllers had been laid off or had retired, so companies struggled to keep up when demand started to recover after the initial pandemic slump, pushing prices sharply higher in 2022.

“We just didn’t have enough seats to go around last year,” Mr. Sharif said, explaining that while personnel issues persist, so far this year the supply situation has been better. “Planes are still totally packed, but there are more planes.”

And as people flock abroad, it is sapping some demand from hotels and tourist attractions in the United States. International tourists have yet to return to the United States in full force, so they are not entirely offsetting the wave of Americans headed overseas.

Domestic travel is hardly in a free fall — July 4 weekend travel probably set new records, per AAA — but tourists are no longer so insatiable that hotels can keep raising room rates indefinitely. Prices for lodging away from home in the U.S. climbed by 4.5 percent in the year through June, which is far slower than the 25 percent annual increases hotel rooms were posting last spring. There is even elbow room at Disney World .

Even if it isn’t inflationary, the jump in foreign travel does highlight something about the U.S. economy: It’s hard to keep U.S. consumers down, especially affluent ones.

The Fed has been raising interest rates to cool growth since early 2022. Officials have made it more expensive to borrow money in hopes of creating a ripple effect that would cut into demand and force companies to stop lifting prices so much.

Consumption has slowed amid that onslaught, but it hasn’t tanked. Fed officials have taken note, remarking at their last meeting that consumption had been “ stronger than expected ,” minutes showed.

The resilience comes as many households remain in solid financial shape. People who travel internationally skew wealthier, and many are benefiting from a rising stock market and still-high home prices that are beginning to prove surprisingly immune to interest rate moves.

Those who do not have big stock or real estate holdings are experiencing a strong job market, and some are still holding onto extra savings built up during the pandemic. And it is not just vacation destinations feeling the momentum: Consumers are still spending on a range of other services .

“There’s this last blowoff of spending,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist for the insurance company Nationwide Mutual.

It could be that consumer resilience will help the U.S. economy avoid a recession as the Fed fights inflation. As has been the case at American hotels, demand that stabilizes without plummeting could allow for a slow and steady moderation of price increases.

But if consumers remain so ravenous that companies find they can still charge more, it could prolong inflation. That’s why the Fed is keeping a close eye on spending.

Ms. Bostjancic thinks consumers will pull back starting this fall. They are drawing down their savings, the labor market is cooling, and it may simply take time for the Fed’s rate increases to have their full effect.

But when it comes to many types of travel, there is no end in sight yet.

“Despite economic headwinds, we’re seeing very strong demand for summer leisure travel,” said Mike Daher, who leads the U.S. Transportation, Hospitality & Services practice at the consulting firm Deloitte.

Mr. Daher attributes that to three driving forces. People missed trips. Social media is luring many to new places. And the advent of remote work is allowing professionals — “what we call the laptop luggers,” per Mr. Daher — to stretch out vacations by working a few days from the beach or the mountains.

Mr. Calvo, the tour guide, is riding the wave, taking Americans on tours that showcase Paris’s shared history with France and driving them in minivan tours to Champagne.

“I have no clue if it’s going to last,” he said.

Jeanna Smialek writes about the Federal Reserve and the economy for The Times. She previously covered economics at Bloomberg News.  More about Jeanna Smialek

NEWS... BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT

World’s most expensive ski resort will ‘ruin you’ for other holiday destinations

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It’s no secret that visiting the US can get pretty expensive, but certain locations undoubtedly cost more to travel to than others.

And there’s one town in America in particular that is known for being incredibly expensive, and those who’ve visited have shared a ‘warning’ for others thinking of going.

We’re talking, of course, about Aspen, a ski resort town in Colorado that was revealed as the world’s most expensive ski resort in 2023 by German real estate company, Engel & Völkers, with chalets selling for a staggering £60,000 per square metre.

If that weren’t enough, the town has also just been named as one of the most expensive holiday destinations in the US by Optimos travel.

Optimos Travel found that a week long trip costs holidaymakers and ski enthusiasts on average £4,217 ($5,330) per person.

The daily cost for one person in the opulent town is a whopping £602.48 ($761.39). Hotels or rental chalets will set travellers back on average £391.34 ($494.56) with food alone costing around a hundred dollars.

But is it worth it? While one Reddit user described it ‘a billionaires mall’ with ‘absurd’ prices, another warned that it was so good ‘You’ll be ruined…no other ski resort will ever be able to compare’

If you love skiing and are curious as to what makes Aspen so great, here’s a closer look at the town and all it offers…

@kaylaseah your sign to take a ski trip with friends❄️ #aspen #aspenskiing #skitrip #wintervibes #aspencolorado #skioutfit ♬ som original – Lana🌸

@avantgardeaspen Aspen, Colorado Christmas #aspen #aspencolorado #aspenchristmas #aspencolorado #aspenholidays #aspenco #aspensnowmass #aspenmountain #holidays #holidays2023 #holidaydestination #holidaytiktok #holidayvibes #holidaymodeactivated #holidaylights #holidaydecor #christmasinaspen ♬ Carol of the Bells – Instrumental – Russell Davis & Roy Vogt & Michael Green & Marty Crum & Jeff Kirk & David Angell & Carrie Bailey & Steve Patrick & Nancy Allen & Ginger Newman & Sarah Valley

@thrillist Spend 24 hours in Aspen with us 🏔️ #24hoursin #aspen #colorado #mountaintown #skitown #skiing #snowshoeing #food #music #apresski #coloradolife #travel #traveltiktok #traveltok #skitok ♬ Storytelling - Adriel

Things to do in Aspen 

Although Aspen is known as a winter resort, it’s also beautiful in the other seasons too. In the summer it comes alive with colourful wildflowers whilst in autumn it’s a peaceful golden leaved escape. Though it is most magical in the winter, with fresh snow glittering on the trees and the town strewn in fairy lights.

There are four different ski resorts in Aspen – Aspen Mountain, Buttermilk, Snowmass and Aspen Highlands with something to suit all skill levels. 

While Aspen Mountain has exhilarating vertical drops, Snowmass is more family friendly and a perfect place for beginners. Buttermilk similarly is more sprawling whilst the Aspen Highlands are known for being rugged and in places steep. 

The good news is you can try all four (or as many you like) of the ranges as they’re all available when you purchase a life ticket for any resort. The bad news is a lift ticket costs £192 ($239) per day for adults and £139.85 ($174) for children per day.

If you’d like to get out in nature but skiing isn’t your thing, there’s a wide range of winter outdoor activities to try including ice fishing, hiking, birdwatching and snowshoeing.

There’s also a rich arts and culture scene in Aspen, with a trip to the free Aspen Art Museum being a must see for art lovers.

The Wheeler Opera House is a stunning 133 year-old Victorian theatre which nowadays hosts everything from comedy shows and concerts to festivals and dance performances. 

If shopping is more your sport than skiing the town is home to many high end brands such as Ralph Lauren, Prada and Gucci. But there’s something for everyone with gorgeous antique stores and little bookshops lining the streets. 

For foodies, the town is known for Roaring Fork Valley is known for deep flavours such as Colorado lamb and grilled escarole. There many cafes and restaurants around the different ski resorts for a bite to fuel your day or adventure where you can ski in and out of. But there are also more chill cookhouses and taverns to people watch from and enjoy some delicious seafood. 

A budget-friendly alternative to Aspen...

If you’re looking at this and are dreaming of a ski trip but can’t afford Aspen, then don’t worry as there are plenty of budget-friendly destinations you can head to.

Borovets in  Bulgaria  may not be as well known as Aspen, but it’s a fabulous choice for  travellers . Research by the foreign exchange company, eurochange, has found that this ski resort in Bulgaria is the cheapest for the cost of food and drink during après, ski hire, lift passes and accommodation. 

A beer there costs just £1.17, and a lift pass costs £29 per day. Compare that to €8 (£6.90) for a beer in Chamonix, and you could save some real cash.

Borovets is located in the Rila mountains in southwest Bulgaria, and offers luxury amenities at very reasonable prices. It’s relatively easy to get to, situated 12km from the nearby town of Samokov and 72km from Bulgaria’s capital, Sofia.

A car is perhaps the easiest and most comfortable mode of transport. However, there is a bus transport system from Sofia’s South Station to Samokov which leaves every four hours. The journey lasts an hour-and-a-half and is a steal at around £1-£3, according to Rome2Rio. From Samokob you can catch another bus to Bavorets, which departs hourly and takes 30 minutes.

Set among pine forests covered in snow, there are scenic slopes lined with trees and various après to enjoy, from clubs and bars, to traditional Balkan pubs.

Skiers can make a beeline for the Borosport Snow Park to rack up some much-need time in the snow without splashing too much cash. With a length of 520m it is made up of three different lanes at different levels of difficulty and is said to be well suited for both newcomers and freestylers. 

Other more affordable options for skiers include Jasná Nízke Tatry in Slovakia, and Poiana Brașov in Romania.

How to get to Aspen

Whilst Aspen has it’s own airport, from the UK you need to fly via Denver. With a stop off in the neighbouring state the flight is around 12 hours from Heathrow and according to SkyScanner will cost around £13,00.

Best time of year to go to Aspen

If you love skiing the best time to go is from December to April, when temperatures average around -8C.

However there’s lots to do in the other months too, but be warned you shouldn’t expect a scorcher.

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The average temperature for July is around 15c and September around 10C.

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The Most Expensive Dresses Ever Sold at Auction

By Christian Allaire

In the art world, rare paintings and sculptures are known to fetch millions at auction —and it seems fashion lovers are becoming just as serious about collecting some of the most expensive dresses in the world too. Over the years, striking pieces worn by pop-culture icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana have hit the auction block, commanding hefty sums at both public and private sales; the value of vintage and historic garments is steadily increasing.

Case in point: Earlier this month a rare Paco Rabanne dress sold on Fair Warning —a new, highly curated auction platform—for $112,100. The dress, from the spring 1967 collection, was made of chain-link aluminum squares and rectangular plates. Its sale price was a world record for a Paco Rabanne piece. “This dress is probably 10 times rarer than a lot of artists’s artworks from the ’60s,” says Loic Gouzer, founder of Fair Warning. “[Paco Rabanne] said in an interview somewhere that women had become warriors, so he decided to give them an armor. I think this is something that resonates even more in a bigger way today. There was definitely a recognition that this dress should be considered as a very rare and important artwork and something you would want to have as a collector.”

It’s not the only expensive dress that has sold at auction, however. In years past, high-profile dresses have even fetched a few million dollars—among them Marilyn Monroe’s iconic dress that flew up above a subway grate and one of Princess Diana’s most-photographed gowns. Ahead, Vogue takes a look at some of these very special (and very expensive) pieces.

Behold: more of the most expensive dresses ever sold at auction.

Paco Rabanne’s 1967 dress

In April 2024, a rare Paco Rabanne dress sold on Fair Warning —a new, highly curated auction platform—for $112,100. The dress, from the spring 1967 collection, was made of chain-link aluminum squares and rectangular plates. Its sale price was a world record for a Paco Rabanne piece.

Princess Diana’s Jacques Azagury dress

In January 2024, a Jacques Azagury gown—once worn by Princess Diana in Florence in the 1980s—fetched $1,148,080 at the Julien’s Auctions and Turner Classic Movies’ Hollywood Legends sale. It set a world record for being the most expensive Princess Diana dress ever sold at auction.

Audrey Hepburn’s Givenchy dress

In 2006, the black Givenchy gown worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s sold at a Christie’s auction for $807,000—seven times its presale estimate.

Marilyn Monroe’s Jean Louis dress

In 2016, the Jean Louis “naked” dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in 1962—when she notably sang “Happy Birthday” to President JFK—sold for $4.8 million at a Julien's Auction sale. It was purchased by Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and famously worn by Kim Kardashian to the 2022 Met Gala.