On Your Side: Summer travel secret deals

Airfares this summer are expected to be a little less pricey than they were last summer, according to Going.com.

Although they're still up from before the pandemic, especially domestic flights, which are up about 25% from a year ago.

Europe is expected to be one of the most popular destinations for travel this summer, but so are smaller U.S. cities, especially for those on a budget.

"We've seen growth upwards of 30, 40% in some smaller city markets, like Austin, Nashville, or Charleston where people are looking to maybe not break the bank in these larger cities," said Katy Nastro, Travel Expert.

Katy Nastro is a travel expert with Going.com. She says summer travel will be near pre-pandemic levels and now is the time to book.

"When you're looking to travel domestically during a peak season, like the summer months, you should be looking to book three to seven months out," said Nastro.

If you want to travel internationally, the sweet spot for savings is 4 to 10 months out.

The good news, airfares have been down about 18% for 7 out of the past 8 months since prices peaked last May.  

"There's no magic date and time when airfare is the absolute cheapest in terms of booking, but there are days of travel that actually can help you save, and that's flying on a Tuesday, a Wednesday, or a Saturday," Nastro.

Also, use Google Flight Alerts to find your goldilocks window, where you don't book too soon or too late.

" Keep checking Google Flight Alert because if that airfare that you booked drops, you can actually go back to the airline and get a travel credit and then apply that to that same route," said Nastro.

Nastro says you can save 20% to 30% on travel if you're flexible with your dates. 

That's why Edward Blaz, a retiree, plans to do when booking his cruise in early June before kids get out of school.