How can you travel more efficiently, intelligently, and affordably in 2023?

 How can you travel more efficiently, intelligently, and affordably in 2023?

Some travel advice is ageless. Travel off-season, ideally during the week, if at all feasible. Prepare yourself for "red-eye" flights. Do not order room service. Remove your Dodgers cap.

The following advise is unique. It is customized to this specific historical period, in which inflation has surged, post-pandemic recovery is uncertain, and most airlines, hotels, and car rentals are charging greater costs than they did before to 2020. 

Travelers may anticipate entertaining encounters as well as important information. Here are some suggestions for making travel better, simpler, and less expensive in the new year.

1. Take the ferry.

To be honest, practically all ferries. The fees are typically modest, but you get the pleasure of being on the water and a different view on the city skyline in exchange. Even if you're prone to seasickness, most ferry rides are brief and uncomplicated, and you're unlikely to acquire a stomach pain.

A journey between downtown San Diego and Coronado costs $7 (bikes are free); a ride to Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, or Larkspur costs $13.50 to $14; and a ride between Embarcadero and Oakland costs $4.50 to $5.75. It costs $2.50 to drive between Balboa Peninsula and Balboa Island in Newport Beach (plus $1.50 for an adult passenger) or $1.50 to walk. The distance is around a half-mile.

Even the 20-plus mile trip from Long Beach (or San Pedro) to Catalina Island is reasonably priced, at $83.50 each way, and you have a fair chance of seeing dolphins. This journey may need the use of Dramamine or Bonine.

2. Consider traveling with Avelo Airlines if you wish to visit western airports that are not served by other airlines.

Avelo flies nonstop from Burbank to Sonoma/Santa Rosa and Eureka/Arcata in California, Medford/Rogue Valley in Oregon, Eugene and Bend in Idaho, and Paso/Tri-Cities in Washington. Avelo, like Southwest, only runs 737 planes. We would want to note out, however, that Avelo is having a bad game.

Expect to spend an additional $40-50 for an extra carry-on bag, $40-50 for checked luggage, and at least $11 for seat selection in addition to the initial fare. With destinations and pricing, however, you can save time, money, or both.

3. Consider how much it will cost to hire a car on the opposite side before booking your travel.

Rental car rates skyrocketed in the first year of the epidemic and remain much higher than they were in 2019. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Consumer Price Index, rental vehicle costs jumped 48% from July 2019 to July 2022 (hotel prices grew 7% and airfares increased 16% during the same period).

The airport will be closed when the Automated People Mover (APM), a long-planned elevated track with walkways and electric-powered escalators, goes operational at LAX (and shuttle buses and cabs will once again travel through the terminal area). 

4. Avoid parking costs at LAX by taking a ride-sharing service or cab.

The APM, a huge milestone following years of modifications and development at LAX, is slated to be finished by the end of 2023, according to LAX spokesperson Heath Montgomery. "We anticipate that the APM will be operating in 2024 and are working hard to achieve a more exact start date shortly."

The airport will be closed when the Automated People Mover (APM), a long-planned elevated track with walkways and electric-powered escalators, goes operational at LAX (and shuttle buses and cabs will once again travel through the terminal area). 

The APM, a huge milestone following years of modifications and development at LAX, is slated to be finished by the end of 2023, according to LAX spokesperson Heath Montgomery. "We anticipate that the APM will be operating in 2024 and are working hard to achieve a more exact start date shortly."

APM intends to alleviate traffic on the horseshoe-shaped route around terminals 1-3, Bradley International Terminal, and terminals 4-8 by delivering shuttles directly to parking lots, public transit, and car rental businesses.

5. If you must drive to LAX, there is enough parking.

Many customers have been confused as the airport's budget parking lot has been relocated twice in the previous three years. Los Angeles International Airport's budget parking is currently housed in a 4,232-space structure at 6100 W. 94th St., a 15-minute bus trip from the terminals.

The lot is scheduled to open in October 2021, replacing Parking Structure E, which was replaced in 2019 by Parking Structure C. Customers coming by automobile will be charged up to $35 per day in parking (the limit was $30 before November 14). 

When you book in advance online, you may typically save up to 20% or more. You may also view real-time airport parking lot fill rates (off-airport lots like Wally Park and Parking Lot may be more or less full depending on availability and demand).

Parking in the central terminal area can cost up to $70 per day (formerly $60) if you want to park as near to the LAX terminals as possible, but you can receive a discount if you secure a place in advance. These areas are highly restricted due to construction.

6. Do not compare Airbnb prices until you have found the best bargain.

My family has recently reserved a Thanksgiving Airbnb house in the Bay Area for $487 per night. The total amounted to $664 per night after cleaning, expenditures, and taxes.

Because practically all Airbnb guests involve services and cleaning, it would be more equitable to integrate these costs into a single charge. However, Airbnb and its hosts resisted for several years, allowing them to expand their earnings.

The situation has improved slightly today. Customers complained so much that on December 1, the site added the option of activating a digital "toggle switch" when browsing, allowing users to view the pricing with all fees (excluding taxes). Since 2018, European consumer protection legislation has demanded this, and it's encouraging to see that American customers have followed suit.

7. You have arrived in a national park. Choose your path now.

For years, park rangers have grumbled that few hikers walk more than a few hundred yards off the track, even in areas like Yosemite Valley and Joshua Tree, where straight trails lead to breathtaking views. That data has now been updated by a group of mapping students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

They looked at photographs of national parks on Flickr and discovered that 86% of them were shot within a mile of a road. Leave a mile or more of paved road behind for a more immersive nature experience (remember to bring plenty of water).

This is especially true in Yosemite during the summer. For the first time since 2019, no advance reservations are necessary to visit the park during the summer peak season, when Yosemite Valley may be extremely busy. This can be mitigated by concentrating on trails and attractions in other areas of the park, such as Wawona and Tuolumne Meadows, and arriving early to the park's entrance.

8. Research hotel facilities fees and make a phone call.

Hotels, unlike lodging facilities, do not impose a cleaning fee, at least not yet. Many hotels, however, levy a "resort fee," which is really required. To attract more potential visitors, hotels may give a deceptively cheap premier rate, then charge them an additional $20 to $50 per night. This is most popular in Las Vegas, Hawaii, Palm Springs, Anaheim, and San Diego, according to ResortFeeTracker.

How can it be fixed? Chairman Biden stated on October 26 that the Federal Trade Commission has begun to act to combat fee fraud. Meanwhile, federal authorities have previously spoken up, but to no avail.

We're on our own now. Check with your hotel (or phone the front desk) to verify whether a vacation fee has been levied. Let the hotel personnel know how you feel about the cost whenever you make a request or have the opportunity to contact the front desk.

9.Rate seekers should think twice about visiting San Diego and San Francisco.

The average price of a hotel night in San Diego grew to almost $207 in the first ten months of 2022, up from $171 in 2019. According to STR statistics, San Diego hotel prices are among the fastest climbing in the country.

In the San Francisco/San Mateo area, the average ticket price has dropped from 252 to 215 dollars during the same time period. The demand for tickets to Alcatraz, the city's most popular family destination for decades, has also decreased. Previously, Alcatraz trips (including boat rides) were sold months in advance. Now that availability is much higher, you may visit the island at the last minute.

10. Visit Pauline for a low-cost hotel in New York.

Here's Pauline Frommer of Frommers.com, who lives in Manhattan and personally checks out the city's best hotels. It's a difficult job: the average journalier's rate in Manhattan this summer was more than $300, and she's looking for lower rates. 

But it is the hunter of aubaines whose father, Arthur, wrote the first book "Europe on Five Dollars a Day" in 1957. Here is her most recent critique. The guide Frommer's (around $20) has a more comprehensive coverage of New York (studied after the closures).

11. Is it time to travel to Europe? Because the dollar has strengthened, Americans may now eat and travel for less money.

Yes, we do have inflation. Others, though, have been even more affected. In mid-November, the dollar was up 13% against the euro compared to a year before. It is around 15% stronger than the pound sterling. 

As Forbes pointed out in an October story, airline tickets and hotel rooms are frequently immune to market swings. The difference in purchasing power is most seen in the prices of restaurants and stores.

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