Team Clark is adamant that we will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. To support our work, we do make money from some links to companies and deals on our site. Learn more about our guarantee here.
Americans are traveling more again, according to the latest data from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Its statistics show that, while Americans aren’t flying as much as they were before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, air travel in September 2021 was more than double the rate of September 2020.
If you’re thinking about traveling, this may be an opportune time to take a cross-country trip to visit some faraway place in the United States.
You may need to hunt a bit more to find deals right now, as hotel and airfare costs are going up.
Travel-booking site Priceline has a new list out of the top U.S. cities to visit right now based on an analysis of hotel, flight and bundle bookings. In looking at travel data for 20 cities, Priceline has determined which destinations give you the most bang for your buck.
Priceline analyzed hotel, flight and package bookings through its service — as well as trips already taken — in 2021 and compared them to the same periods in 2019.
Let’s look at the average airfare and hotel rates for the selected cities, then we’ll move into pricing trends. I’ll also share an invaluable travel tip from Team Clark on how to save money.
Here are airfare and hotel costs in Priceline’s top five cities on its travel list. I calculated the amount for a five-night stay to help you see the total potential cost.
| City | Average Round-Trip Airfare | Average Hotel Rate Per Day | Total Cost of a Five-Night Stay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | $282 | $205 | $1,307 |
| Los Angeles | $303 | $190 | $1,253 |
| New York City | $314 | $188 | $1,254 |
| San Francisco | $367 | $184 | $1,287 |
| Washington | $310 | $144 | $1,030 |
Now let’s take a look at where travel prices are trending down, then we’ll look at where they’re on the rise. The following data is based on a comparison of travel booked through Priceline this year versus the same period in 2019.
According to Priceline, average hotel rates are dropping in these select few cities:
When it comes to airfare, average roundtrip prices are decreasing for these major cities:
If you choose to bundle your travel, package deals to Phoenix (-17%), San Francisco (-18%) and Seattle (-14%) have dropped the most, according to the report.
The average price of a hotel room is rising in most major U.S. cities, according to Priceline. As an example, here is where travel hotel rates are rising the most:
If you’re interested in booking travel soon, one of the best ways to save money is to use Google Flights to comparison shop. You can find rates for airfare and hotels on the site.
“Google Flights should be the first website to visit to search domestic and international airfares before you jump over to a specific airline to book a flight,” Team Clark travel expert Clara Bosonetto says. “With its many filters, it’s the best site to use when you must fly on a specific airline, must have a nonstop flight, you have a multiple city trip (flying into one city and out of another) or you want to book one-way travel.”
Read our full guide to using Google Flights here.
This post was last modified on October 3, 2022 2:23 pm
Deciding to save and invest are great habits. But once you check that box, your…
If you're considering subscribing to Fubo, you need to be comfortable missing out on some…
Are you looking for a way to earn 2% back on every purchase you make…
You're not alone if you're running a balance on your credit cards. Collectively, Americans are…
A big part of saving money comes down to knowing how to comparison shop. But…
If you work for a big company as a full-time employee, chances are you have…