Phones 'ringing off the hook' with people booking vacations, says travel agency
With the cold weather coming and COVID-19 restrictions going, travel agents say they're busier than they have been in years.
Many travellers are rebooking trips they previously put on hold because of the pandemic, said Steve Olmstead of CAA Atlantic.
CAA launched a new travel website in June, and he said it's already seen twice as many visitors as the previous page did in all of 2019.
"Our phones once again are ringing off the hook. They've been ringing off the hook all year. And back in the spring, when restrictions really started to lift, everything just went over the top.... It's been really busy, thousands of bookings and thousands of travel insurance purchases."
Many travel issues resolved, says Olmstead
Olmstead said more people are paying for their trips using points and reward systems, as a way to combat increased cost pressures.
Sunny southern destinations are popular, from cruises to all-inclusive resorts, he said.
Many of the problems travellers faced during the pandemic have largely been resolved, said Olmstead.
"Airports are doing an amazing job of just retooling their systems and processes to get people moving a little bit easier through check-ins and security and things like that."
Judy and Clarence Burke said they've got all their COVID-19 vaccines as well as their flu shots, and are ready to travel.
"At some point you just have to carry on."
But Pat Robinson said she's not quite ready to hop on a plane yet.
"I don't want to catch COVID. No trip is worth that."
