According to recent surveys, some 42 percent of Americans are planning on taking time off to travel in 2017. About one third of American adults have also said that they’re more likely to travel this year than they were last year. Many of those people are planning to go to Mexico, consistently the top international travel destination for Americans or to warmer parts of the country. If this winter is anything like the last few, that’s not particularly surprising.
But airline tickets are also cheaper currently. While those prices are expected to be about 8 percent higher on average in 2017 than in 2016, that’s still 9 percent cheaper than even two years ago. Apparently 2016 was enough of a nightmare that airlines dropped prices to get more people flying.
If you’re thinking about traveling internationally this year, and you don’t already have a destination picked out, there are a lot of places worth considering. Canada, for example, has long been the second most popular international travel destination for Americans, and as the U.S. dollar is currently strong there, it’s a good way to get more out of your travel dollars.
But Canada isn’t the only place where you can get more for your money. New Zealand is a good option as well due to the country’s exchange rate.
There are also a number of destinations that are working harder to earn those tourism dollars, like Iceland, which routinely places high in lists of top European destinations.
“There are many reasons why Reykjavik continues to trend, from Icelandair’s free stopover offer to the country’s breathtaking beauty (which will make you feel like you’re on another planet!) to the diverse range of experiences—volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers,” Dave Solomito of Kayak told Forbes in a recent email. “Not to mention—it’s a quick flight from the East Coast!”
Ireland is another overlooked international travel gem. Its natural beauty and seemingly endless historic attractions can be very attractive to tourists. Travelers wishing to research their Irish ancestry also may wish to travel to the nation, as it has some of the best-kept family genealogical records in the world. Low air fares to the city of Cork, thanks to discount airlines, are making it a popular destination for travelers from the U.S.
2017 also looks like it will be a year of “last-chance tourism” to places like the Great Barrier Reef and other natural sites that are at risk of being destroyed by climate change, pollution, and other destructive human activity. In fact, more responsible travel to such places could help drive home to need to take real action to protect them, which could be a real boon.
Where are you planning to travel this year? Let us know in the comments!
Photo: Cork, Ireland.