Spring and Summer travel expected to be heavy this year

HARRISONBURG, Va. (WHSV) - Experts predict this will be the season of travel.

As the COVID emergency is coming to an end, TSA predicts travel numbers will be above where they were in 2019.

Especially with international travel as more places are fully open now.

”AAA is seeing airfare in March that’s up about 20 to 25% compared to what we were paying in 2021,” Morgan Dean, AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson said. “If you’re looking at hotel rates in warm weather destinations they’re running about 20 to 30% higher than they were last year.”

Dean said the spring break travel calendar is too expanded to pinpoint the exact busiest days, but he said data is showing more people will be hitting the roadways and the runways than in recent years.

With more travel comes looming gas prices. They have risen in the last week.

Dean said that’s mainly due to the switch from winter blend ethanol to summer blend.

He said prices may vary throughout the summer, as demand could increase prices at the pump.

However, Virginia gas is a dollar less than it was during this time last year, according to AAA.