Travel deals abound for spring adventurers

Spring break travelers are hitting the beaches, deserts, cruises and casinos in greater numbers than a year ago despite higher air fares and limited availability of seats and travel agents, industry officials say.

A brutal winter in much of the country and pent-up demand for travel following a two-year recession are contributing factors to the expected increase of travelers at spring break, which begins this weekend in Oklahoma and surrounding states and in the following weeks in the Upper Midwest and along the East Coast, industry officials said.

"People aren't discouraged by the higher fares," said American Airlines spokesman Tim Smith. "We're seeing strong increases in international bookings, which were up 6 percent in February. We consider spring break is a time when some people travel internationally compared with other holidays."

Travel agents said there are very few airline seats out of Tulsa International Airport for the popular spring break destinations during the next 10 days.

"You can hardly find space anywhere at this point unless your spring break is the week of Good Friday (April 22)," said Nancy Winn, an agent for Travel Leaders/Spears Travel in Tulsa. "If you would find a seat, you would really pay to get it."

As an example, Winn cites a round-trip air fare to Cancun, Mexico, leaving Tuesday, March 15, and returning Monday, March 21. The price: $1,108.

In a month, the fare will be less than half that total, according to travel websites.

A traveler departing Tulsa on Tuesday, April 12, and returning Monday, April 18, could fly round-trip to Cancun for $388, including taxes and fees, on Delta Air Lines, says the online travel website Orbitz.com.

But, short of delaying a spring break vacation, Orbitz.com Senior Travel Editor Jeanenne Tornatore offers tips for a spring break getaway that won't drain the bank account:

--Instead of the magnet spring break destinations, consider off-season city escapes, such as Chicago, Boston or New York.

"Hotels in big-city, off-season destinations will likely have excess inventory and are offering deals that will be hard for travelers to pass up," Tornatore said.

--Check out hotel promotions in an off-season destination or a city within driving distance.

"Looking for hotel promotions like fourth night free, 'kids stay free' or 'kids eat free' is a great way to save money on a spring getaway," Tornatore said.

--Package deals can mean big savings on air fares, hotels and rental cars.

"Buying a package deal is like putting a piece of gold back into a traveler's pocket," Tornatore said.

Although average daily hotel rates have increased by double-digit percentages during the past year in three of Orbitz.com's top five spring break destinations, they are up by only single digit percentages in five of the top 10 destinations and 7 percent lower in Los Angeles and 4 percent lower in Denver, the travel website says.

Kathleen Benson, manager of Owasso Travel, said the biggest difference in spring break travel trends from a year ago is the drop-off in travel to Mexico, which travel industry professionals have been warning clients to avoid.

"I'm getting a lot of Europe, cruises and Disney (Orlando, Fla.)," Benson said. "Air fare increases haven't really had an effect."

Winn said popular cruises for Tulsa travelers depart from Galveston, Texas, on the Gulf Coast, which is a 12-hour drive from northeastern Oklahoma.

The Carnival Lines has two cruise ships departing regularly from Galveston, and Royal Caribbean has a single cruise ship based at Galveston.

Because of rising fuel prices, the cruise lines have increased fares in recent weeks, but there are still deals to be had, Winn said.

"A typical seven-day (Caribbean) cruise with an ocean cabin, meals and taxes is $1,200 per person," Winn said.

For the adventurous, Travel-Ticker.com, a travel website, suggests five top exotic spring break travel deals:

--Spain/Portugal for nine days, including bus transportation (but not including air fare), tours, hotels, breakfast and three dinners, from $949 per person for travel until October 21.

--Thailand for nine days, including flight, four-star hotels and meals, from $1,049, until May 24.

--Italy, including flight, trains, tours, daily breakfast and four-star hotels in Rome, Florence and Venice, from $1,889, from April 3 to March 25, 2012.

--U.S. Virgin Islands for seven nights, including air fare and hotels, from $681, until May 31.

--Brazil/Argentina, including air fare, transfers, hotels, meals and a 10-day escorted tour, from $2,149, Thursday through December 8.

D.R. Stewart 918-581-8451

don.stewart@tulsaworld.com

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