NOWCAST Pittsburgh's Action News 4 at 11pm Sunday
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

Rossen Reports: Tricks to save on airfare & gas right now
Jeff Rossen
Chief National Consumer Correspondent
Rossen Reports: Tricks to save on airfare & gas right now
Hey, good to see you. You're thinking about it, I'm thinking about it. I want to get out of here. Where can I go this spring break and now is the time to book it but with prices skyrocketing from airfare to guess you need to choose carefully. But don't worry I've got three easy ways to make your travel easier and of course save you money in the Rawson reports, Spring break savings guide, It's vacation time. So where is everyone going? The travel app hopper says the three top destinations this year, our Miami, Las Vegas and Orlando. But airfare will cost you domestic round trip tickets going for an average of $290. That's 21% higher than last year. Travel experts say choose that destination that's cheapest to fly to and plan your vacation from there. Okay so how do you find a cheap flight? Let's say you want to go somewhere, you know you want to go somewhere this spring break but you haven't settled on a place yet. This is perfect. Go to google. I'm gonna walk you through this google has something called google flights so just google google flights like that. Right click on it. It's that top hit right there and then look at this, let's say we want to go round trip from west Palm beach to. I don't know I kind of want to go to California. Just type in the whole state. Right click that in. Do your dates, I'll do this date to this date and look what pops up. I can go to san Francisco for $608. But hang on, there's actually cheaper. I can go to Vegas for $480. That's a lot cheaper. And look Ella, I can go to for just $397. You click on that, it brings you to the airline choices and you're in business on vacation, cheaper heading out on a road trip. You know, gas is spiking to all time highs The national average 3 61 a gallon. That's about a dollar higher than this time last year and it could be going up even farther. Save at the pump with an app you already have in your phone. We've all been here. Right, look at this gas station, $3.79 for regular. It's expensive. You don't want to pay that and I know in other parts of the country it's even more expensive but there's a way to find cheap gas and it's free. Come over to your, your phone. Do you have ways? Well I use ways all the time. But even if you don't have it open it up, did you know there's a great way to find gas, Right? So just hit where to look at the little gas icon right there. You hit that. It's going to load up all the gas stations right around you so you can see this one is marked as 3 79 but then it's also going to give you the ones that are cheaper. The orange ones are cheaper than the red ones and the green ones are the really cheap ones. Let me click on this one for 3 25. I see that's a Costco, Right? So let's say you're not a Costco member. That's a great tip. By the way though, Costco has really cheap gas. It's one of the perks of being a member. But let's say you're not a Costco member. Come back into the map here and look, I'm looking around and you can see all the reds up there. Here's something and it's orange but it's for 3 39 which would be really cool Murphy usa let's go there. You just click that and you click that and let's go see if it's accurate. Okay, we're pulling up to Murphy USA, hold on one sec. There's the sign there it is. It's accurate. $3.39. We pull around here just so you can see look at that. That is a 40 cent per gallon savings than what we had before. How cool is that? But get this? We even know when you should fill up, not just in the state you're visiting, but in every state the website gasbuddy is tracking it. All. This map tells you when the best and worst days of the week are to fill up wherever you live or wherever you're going in florida. The best day to fill up is on friday. The worst is on Wednesday. Who knew in Louisiana and south Carolina. The best day to fill up is saturday. The worst thursday. By the way, we'll post that map and more spring break travel tips to help you save money on my website right now, Rawson Reports dot com Back to you.
Advertisement
Rossen Reports: Tricks to save on airfare & gas right now
Jeff Rossen
Chief National Consumer Correspondent
Travel prices are hitting record highs. If you’re thinking about planning a vacation, there are some easy ways you can save. Hopper is now out with its 2022 Spring Break travel report. Take a look below. FlightsIf you’re taking a domestic trip, you should expect to pay around $290 for a roundtrip this month. That’s a 21% jump from last year’s spring break travel season. Prices are rising about 45% to $365 between now and the week before departure. For international trips, airfare is averaging $690 for a roundtrip. A week before departure, prices are expected to rise to $800. Hopper says to book at least three to four weeks in advance to get the best deals. Most booked domestic destinations? Miami, Las Vegas, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Most booked international destination? Cancun, Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico, Cabo, Mexico and Paris, France. Travel Tip: Travel experts say if you’re not entirely sure where you want to go, but you don’t want to break the bank, don’t choose the popular destination. Head to a site like Google Flights. Type in where you’re leaving from and the state you’d like to visit. The website will show you how much airfare is going for in multiple cities and you can choose the cheapest option. If you’ve picked your destination, the website/app Hopper will track the price of airfare to let you know when the best time to buy is. When you buy could also save you money. According to Expedia’s 2022 forecast, buying your ticket on a Sunday could save you between 5% and 10%.Hotels Hopper says travelers should expect to pay about $165 a night, which is an 8% increase from last month’s prices. Places like Panama City Beach, Florida, saw hotel prices going up. But there were some destinations seeing price drops as well. Coming off its seasonally pricier ski season, Lake Tahoe saw the biggest drop in prices, down 23%, from $229 a night to $177 a night.Travel Tip: Sign up for a hotel's free loyalty programs. You probably belong to a bunch, but this could save you money. Many hotel chain programs include a best-rate guarantee, free upgrades, free nights, or items with bookings. Or you can sign up for a loyalty program offered by a third-party booking website. Those programs will also offer free nights as a reward. Make travel easier There are apps that make traveling less of a headache. TripCase and TripIt are apps that act as your travel planner. After you get a confirmation email with your reservation, forward it to the app (whichever you choose). Both apps hold your flight information, hotel reservations, car rentals, etc. all in one place. It’s easy to scroll through rather than sorting through your email inbox. A bonus: The apps will also send you real-time alerts if your flight gets delayed, canceled, or if there’s a gate change. You can get these alerts through push notifications and/or text messages. Save on gas Going on a road trip? Hopper says rental car prices are trending similarly to 2021. For mid-March, expect to pay about $70 a day for a rental car (before fees, taxes, insurance, etc.). Travel Tip: Gas prices are spiking. Before you fill up at the first gas station you see, save at the pump with free apps. You probably already have the Waze app on your phone for navigation, but you can also use it to find gas stations along your route. Tap the "Where to?" button and then the gas pump icon. You'll see various gas stations along your route with their prices. If the icon is red, that means it’s the highest price in the area. The list of stations will also tell you how far you’ll have to drive. Prices are updated by fellow Waze users. GasBuddy is another app that tracks the gas prices in your area, displaying the price posted on the pump. You can view it in a list form or on a map. But it also saves you money when you fuel up. Through the app, you can get a free card that links to your bank account. Every time you swipe with the card, you can save up to 25 cents per gallon. The app showcases "Deal Alerts", which are flash sales and coupons for even steeper discounts. Once you activate the deal and swipe the card at the pump, you’ll save money.Additionally, if you are part of a loyalty program like Shell Fuel Rewards — you will get an additional 5 cents off per gallon. GasBuddy came out with a study, tracking gas prices across the country to determine the best and worst days of the week to fill your tank and save the most money. Take a look at the map below to see where your state (or the state you’re visiting) falls.

Travel prices are hitting record highs. If you’re thinking about planning a vacation, there are some easy ways you can save.

Advertisement

Hopper is now out with its 2022 Spring Break travel report. Take a look below.

Flights

If you’re taking a domestic trip, you should expect to pay around $290 for a roundtrip this month. That’s a 21% jump from last year’s spring break travel season. Prices are rising about 45% to $365 between now and the week before departure.

For international trips, airfare is averaging $690 for a roundtrip. A week before departure, prices are expected to rise to $800. Hopper says to book at least three to four weeks in advance to get the best deals.

Most booked domestic destinations? Miami, Las Vegas, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles.

Most booked international destination? Cancun, Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico, Cabo, Mexico and Paris, France.

Travel Tip: Travel experts say if you’re not entirely sure where you want to go, but you don’t want to break the bank, don’t choose the popular destination.

Head to a site like Google Flights. Type in where you’re leaving from and the state you’d like to visit. The website will show you how much airfare is going for in multiple cities and you can choose the cheapest option.

If you’ve picked your destination, the website/app Hopper will track the price of airfare to let you know when the best time to buy is.

When you buy could also save you money. According to Expedia’s 2022 forecast, buying your ticket on a Sunday could save you between 5% and 10%.

Hotels

Hopper says travelers should expect to pay about $165 a night, which is an 8% increase from last month’s prices. Places like Panama City Beach, Florida, saw hotel prices going up.

But there were some destinations seeing price drops as well. Coming off its seasonally pricier ski season, Lake Tahoe saw the biggest drop in prices, down 23%, from $229 a night to $177 a night.

Travel Tip: Sign up for a hotel's free loyalty programs. You probably belong to a bunch, but this could save you money. Many hotel chain programs include a best-rate guarantee, free upgrades, free nights, or items with bookings.

Or you can sign up for a loyalty program offered by a third-party booking website. Those programs will also offer free nights as a reward.

Make travel easier

There are apps that make traveling less of a headache. TripCase and TripIt are apps that act as your travel planner.

After you get a confirmation email with your reservation, forward it to the app (whichever you choose). Both apps hold your flight information, hotel reservations, car rentals, etc. all in one place. It’s easy to scroll through rather than sorting through your email inbox.

A bonus: The apps will also send you real-time alerts if your flight gets delayed, canceled, or if there’s a gate change. You can get these alerts through push notifications and/or text messages.

Save on gas

Going on a road trip? Hopper says rental car prices are trending similarly to 2021. For mid-March, expect to pay about $70 a day for a rental car (before fees, taxes, insurance, etc.).

Travel Tip: Gas prices are spiking. Before you fill up at the first gas station you see, save at the pump with free apps. You probably already have the Waze app on your phone for navigation, but you can also use it to find gas stations along your route.

Tap the "Where to?" button and then the gas pump icon. You'll see various gas stations along your route with their prices. If the icon is red, that means it’s the highest price in the area. The list of stations will also tell you how far you’ll have to drive. Prices are updated by fellow Waze users.

GasBuddy is another app that tracks the gas prices in your area, displaying the price posted on the pump. You can view it in a list form or on a map. But it also saves you money when you fuel up. Through the app, you can get a free card that links to your bank account. Every time you swipe with the card, you can save up to 25 cents per gallon.

The app showcases "Deal Alerts", which are flash sales and coupons for even steeper discounts. Once you activate the deal and swipe the card at the pump, you’ll save money.

Additionally, if you are part of a loyalty program like Shell Fuel Rewards — you will get an additional 5 cents off per gallon.

GasBuddy came out with a study, tracking gas prices across the country to determine the best and worst days of the week to fill your tank and save the most money. Take a look at the map below to see where your state (or the state you’re visiting) falls.