The following article ran on CNBC today. For those who do not know, CNBC is part of the NBC family and focuses on stocks / bonds and business news. It is a reputable and well respected tV channel.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/08/03/international-travel-surges-domestic-airfares-hotel-rates-lag.html
Maybe time to consider traveling in the USA.
Interesting. I'd still rather travel internationally for the foreseeable future.
Depending on where in the US you go, you may find huge crowds and high prices in the US as well.
For example, popular national parks such as Yosemite, Zion, Mt. Rainier, Olympic, Glacier, and others are fully booked (in-park lodging) a year in advance, so most visitors must stay outside the parks in nearby communities. This can lead to long lines at the entrance station—-right now 2 hours of waiting is typical at Yosemite and sometimes at Rainier. Olympic NP is severely limiting traffic up to Hurricane Ridge, and the Hoh Rainforest entrance experiences long lines starting in early morning. Glacier has a reservation system in place for driving the Going-to-the Sun road.
Even outside the national parks, it can be difficult to enjoy a hike. Here in Washington, where certain beautiful peals and lakes have become Instagram celebrities, trailhead parking fills up by 8 or 9 am and later arrivals must park far down the road (if it is allowed) or turn around and go elsewhere.
As for cities, the two I know best, Seattle and San Francisco, are experiencing very high hotel prices this summer, so I see many complains about this on TripAdvisor. Here in Seattle it is driven by the cruise ship traffic. In San Francisco it can be events, conferences, and trade shows such as Dreamforce or Fleet Week.
Fingers crossed that I can find reasonable airfare for my flight to either Tampa or Orlando in March next year. Haven't seen it yet. Cheap rates for hotels won't happen as I'm going for Spring Training and every tourist based business in the area knows it.
My daughter and her husband recently returned from a road trip from Vancouver down to LA and back. I can't comment on hotel prices, as they used accumulated loyalty points. But she mentioned almost daily on how crowded most of the places they visited were. Between that and the heat, they cut their trip short by a couple of days.
She is headed to Ireland and England next week for her annual girls trip with her BFF, a trip they've already done several times to visit mutual friends.
The following proves that you are never too old and there is life after 80
I just spent the weekend in Cambridge, MA. Harvard Square and Back Bay were wall to wall people. Hotels start at about $350/night for one queen sized bed, in a shoebox room, without tea or coffee. Then add tax. Thank heavens we didn't have a car. Can't imagine what parking might cost. Dinner reservations required about a week in advance unless you can wait until 10.00 PM.
Another problem with US travel, at least in the western US, is forest fires. The smoke and fires have had a severe impact on vacationers in both cities and national parks, somewhere in the West, in every one of the past 7 years in my experience. And it seems to be getting worse.
The US is so big and so varied, I believe you can find some place great to travel without large crowds. The weather, however, is another thing altogether. Extreme heat everywhere will impact the enjoyment of our trips. That being said, I have traveled throughout California extensively, and throughout much of the Southwest and Northwest. There are many smaller towns in California where you can relax and relish the environment, be it seashore, mountains or desert.
New Mexico has more to see than the plaza of Santa Fe (as great as Santa Fe is!)...there is White Sands Natl. Monument, the Very Large Array, Chimayo, Chaco Canyon, Los Alamos, the Indian Cultural Center in Albuquerque, the balloon museum there.....this is just part of the list where you can go without the inundation of tourists. They will be there, but not in droves.
In Arizona, Tucson is between the two parts of the striking Saguaro Natl. Park, and you can visit some fine wineries south of town, plus a beautiful Spanish mission and art colonies. Tucson also has a great air museum. There are interesting towns like Bisbee and Jerome. Flagstaff has the Lowell Observatory, and Phoenix, though full of snowbirds in the winter, has a wonderful botanical garden, plus the Taliesen West house of Frank Lloyd Wright. Arizona is more than the Grand Canyon. (Meteor Crater and Grand Canyon Caverns don't have the crowds of the Grand Canyon). And don't forget Tuzigoot, the Petrified Forest, the Painted Desert, and Montezuma's Castle. All are less well-known and consequently less crowded, but still worth visiting!
In the Four Corners region, you can not visit the big national parks (Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches) and go instead to Mesa Verde N/P, Monument Valley and hop over to Durango, Colorado for fishing and rodeos and rock hound gatherings, or a scenic railroad jaunt.
I have bragged about California in older posts, but needless to say, we have a huge variety of things to do and see, major and minor, popular and less well-known. I won't begin to list them, or the sights in Oregon or Washington. Another post, perhaps.
Get behind the wheel if you can and head off on a road trip!
Heading off to Yosemite soon….annual meet up with grad school friends. Reservations were secured months ago.
Been going to Yosemite since the 50’s. After a very a long drought the 2022 rains were welcomed. Waterfalls are raging again. Couple that with the desire to travel after the Covid lockdowns I’m not looking forward to the trip. Going to be crowded. VERY crowded. However, I know me, the moment I sit outside at the Awahnee and embrace the Valley’s majesty I’ll smile.
Have to imagine national parks, state parks, monuments, etc., through out the US will experience an enormous up take In visitors.
I love Amtrak and I wish that our government would put more money into Amtrak and give it more attention.
I have taken Amtrak all over the United States sometimes going from one coast to the other.
I think the most beautiful route that I have taken was from San Francisco to Denver. We went through the Sierra Nevada Mountains. We came into Denver at night. and we came down a mountain.
Claudia, you have been going to Yosemite since the 1950's! I did go once and it was awesome. So it is going to be terribly crowded but you are going to feel safe and calm with your friends. Has Yosemite changed? I would assume not.
A friend was in Yosemite late June or early July. I asked her about crowds and she said that it was very crowded and that she could almost not find a parking place.
Claudia, that is great that you and you friends have lodging inside the Valley, so you only have to endure the long entrance lines once. And the Ahwahnee is quite wonderful, as you know, especially the location. For your entry into the park, afternoons have been better than mornings.
Read the Yosemite webpage on advice regarding traffic, parking and shuttles.
https://www.nps.gov/yose/planyourvisit/traffic.htm
Or LA Times:
Basically, the Valley parking lots can be filled by 8 or 9 am, so it is impossible to drive around the Valley for sightseeing. And the shuttles have been horribly crowded this summer, with long waits to board, and some unpleasantness among frustrated visitors. Best plan on renting bikes (or bring your own), or walking.
Of course you can use your car to visit Glacier Point and Tuolumne Meadows (my favorite part of Yosemite in summer), and there should be parking available at the Ahwahnee when you return in the afternoon. If you do drive up to Tuolumne, consider a stop at Lake Tenaya for a swim on the way back. We much prefer the west end of the lake for swimming; there is a nice sandy beach (you must wade across the outlet creek to reach it) and the water is shallow enough to warm up. Plus you get the gorgeous view in the Ansel Adams photo.
https://shop.anseladams.com/products/lake-tenaya-1?variant=31415638622275
I hope you and your friends have a wonderful time, in spite of the crowds. It is my favorite park too—-I have been going there since 1954 myself, and spent a year living and working in the Valley right after college.
We love going to Portland & then on to Acadia National Park.
I am always surprised at the multitude of sight and activities in any part of the US that I've visited. In June, while I was staying with family in a Chicago suburb, I rented a car and drove to Springfield for 3 days/2 nights mid-week. I ran out of time before I ran out of things to do. Later 3 of us went to Nashville for a long Juneteenth weekend. We had to pick carefully what we wanted to see and do with only 3 full days - after a long day sightseeing in Kentucky on the way. If we'd planned earlier we'd also have visited Mammoth Cave. Not to mention it's a lot easier to get to know the locals - I speak their language 😂
Our last 4 trips were within the United States and were specifically hiking in National Parks. We have been to Europe several times, including with RS tours, and the trips were wonderful but we want to explore the U.S. more. We don't really like flying any more. We used to love it but we are happy taking road trips now in our EV. Charging hasn't been a problem either. The next trip is in two weeks to Tucson then in April to the Channel Island National Park off the coast of Ventura, CA.
I think that oftentimes places seem crowded because tourists all flock to the same, often unremarkable, spots because those are what is hyped. I know it is true in Seattle and I imagine it is the same worldwide.
When someone tells me that one of their “must sees” is Pike Place Market, the gum wall, or the Fremont troll, I inwardly cringe. While the Market can be fun, it is only fun the first few hours of the day before the tourist crowds arrive……
There is so much to see here in the US and worldwide that is off the tourist “must see list” and still accessible.
The four years I lived in st Louis (and had a lot of weekend visitors ; we were straight out of college so a road trip to crash on someone else's couch was all any of us could afford) I was amazed that my Monday water cooler conversations garnered a lot of " I last went there on a field trip in 4th grade" or "huh, I've lived here my whole life and I've never been there "
Years ago we took Amtrak from San Francisco to Denver, then spent a few days in Denver and about 5 days touring around SW Colorado. It was spectacular, and not crowded in the many small towns, Durango to Silverton Railroad, Mesa Verde and Black Canyon of the Gunnison NPs. But I don't know what it is like now.
Another great trip is Oregon, including both the high desert and many state parks along the coast. The Oregon Shakespeare Festival could also be included, although we have not gotten there yet.
And yet another is to combine Charleston SC with Savannah GA. We did that just a few years ago.
The Redwood state and national parks in northern California are not at all crowded in October--we went there this past October and made our hotel reservations just a week in advance. Only two of the trails were busy, and traffic was no problem at all.
My husband was career military, so we lived all over the US. We knew at the time to make the most of each place, and did as much traveling as we could. Time was limited, but we made the most out of the circumstances. Even going to areas you find out that you don't care for, there was always something we enjoyed. On the cross country moves, we had very limited time but still found a few fun things to do. I can still remember stopping to see the Salem Sue Cow, for instance.
As mentioned, our parks are being loved to death. We love to hike and backpack, but I no longer recommend places on travel forums as the crowds have become insane. Our goal is to find quieter places within about a 5 hour drive from home, and that usually works to avoid the masses.
Hotel rates even in non touristy cities/towns have sky rocketed. I was shocked at the hotel prices when we sold mom's condo and had to find alternative lodging. Airbnb to the rescue. Even that can be insane, so we google and see if we can find the same property and book direct with the owner.
I do think the US has so much to offer and encourage people to get out of their comfort zones and try something new. I am always amazed at how many people have never left the state they were born/raised in. I know for myself, moving around really opened my eyes, both to the good and the bad.
On the cross country moves, we had very limited time but still found a few fun things to do. I can still remember stopping to see the Salem Sue Cow, for instance.
I wonder how many others on this post, besides you and me, know where Sue resides. She is fun to see while passing through the least visited state in the US.
We lived in the bay area for years and used to camp at Yosemite annually. Last time we went in summer (5 years ago) I said never again! Crowds were horrible and that was with a reservation system in place to get in! I'd love to go back, but it will have to be fall or early spring.
I've been trying to get a campsite at a nearby campground (not a state or national park) and have had no luck. When reservations open up in the morning they are gone within 1 second. I don't know if it' Covid or the world just being more populated.
