The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
The staggering cost of a US break – and how to beat it
Prices for holidays to North America have soared, but there are ways to minimise the pain, says Greg Dickinson
This week, I was checking the prices listed in a Telegraph Travel article published back in 2022 (such is the glamour of the job) and was struck by how steeply the cost of holidays to North America had risen in just two years.
For two North American itineraries mentioned in the article – one of them a 12-night tour of Canada with Exodus Adventure Trails, the other a 14-night Bon Voyage tour of the United States – the price had risen by 28.3 per cent and 28.2 per cent, respectively.
After digging further, I found examples of similar hikes on US itineraries. A Rocky Mountaineer tour has risen by 27.8 per cent since 2022. Another, Responsible Travel’s Yellowstone & Grand Teton adventure, had gone up by 24.5 per cent in the same period
Some holidays we listed in 2023 have increased by a similar margin. An Insight Vacations tour of the American West has risen by 26.5 per cent, while an APT tour of the Rockies and Alaska has gone up by more than a fifth.
Of course, holiday prices can be dynamic and some of the above holidays may have been on special offer when captured by The Telegraph in previous years – but then again, many of the 2024 prices I found had been discounted, too. There were also examples of lower price rises: across the 25 US holidays I checked, the average hike was 8.6 per cent on 2023 prices and 16.7 per cent on 2022 rates.
Theresa Wilson of tour operator Bon Voyage, which specialises in transatlantic holidays, says there are multiple causes behind these North America package holiday price hikes: “Inflation is a global issue and the war in Ukraine, in particular, is having an impact on supply chain issues, which are affecting the US and Canada heavily,” she says.
“There is still some Covid lag – for instance, rental-car companies that sold off parts of their fleet during the pandemic have been unable to repurchase the volume needed, due to a shortage of parts – and that has led to higher rental costs over the past two years.
“Add to that increased demand, especially somewhere like Canada with a short visitor season, and you have the perfect storm. There is still value to be had – you just need to know where to look. The trick for the consumer is to book early, be flexible and use a company willing to offer steers on where savings can be achieved.”
Interestingly, some firms say the hike in US holiday prices has not affected demand. Tour operator Scott Dunn’s director of sales, Simon Lynch, says: “Despite a challenging exchange rate and overall inflationary costs, luxury visitors have not been repelled from travelling transatlantic. In fact, visitors to the US have seen a 29 per cent increase since 2022.”
Abercrombie & Kent also reports “robust demand for North America holidays, particularly in the luxury segment,” with California and the south-west proving particularly popular with its clientele.
If you are planning a big trip to North America on a budget, there are some money-saving tricks to keep up your sleeve. If you are tied to the school holidays, consider booking your American getaway in the second half of August, when prices are generally lower. For example, Tui’s Grove Resort And Waterpark Orlando holiday costs £7,532 (for two adults and two children) when departing on July 27 for a fortnight, but the price is £6,431 if you depart on August 17. Going in shoulder season, as always, brings even greater savings.
And remember that tour operators buy up plane tickets and rooms long in advance, often up to a year early, and they have to shift them one way or another. If you missed out on the January sales, there will always be savings to be made at the last minute – though your options will be more limited. The more flexible you are on dates and destination, the better deals you will find.