Boom or bust? Expect a bit of both for summer travel

Plus: "Workacationing" in Norway | O’Hare’s upgraded people mover

Good morning. We’ve been mostly chained to our desks for the past week. And while that never makes us happy, we are pleased to report on the continuing optimism for the summer travel season ahead. Still, like everything the past two years, it comes with just as many caveats.

Also this week, we'll walk you through the latest news, share a U.K. couple's experience "workcationing" in serene Norway and share intel from navigating the always stressful Chicago O'Hare last week.

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First the good news: 

Now, the reality check: testing, jet fuel shortages and more

There remain many challenges ahead, most notably the Biden Administration’s continued silence on when or if it will lift the requirement that all inbound international travelers present a negative Covid-19 test to board their planes.

While many people rejoiced last week when a federal judge invalidated the long-standing mandate that travelers mask up on planes and other public transportation, travel companies and industry groups have repeatedly said the real impediment to meaningful recovery this summer is the testing requirement. 

“The negative test required to return to the US probably is the biggest concern for people to travel overseas – probably more than the war or the fear of Covid,” Rudi Schreiner, president and co-founder of one of our favorite river cruise lines, AmaWaterways, told Travel Essential. “People don’t want to get stuck for a week or 10 days. As soon as this rule is repealed, we’ll probably see a big booking increase in international travel.”

For now, Schreiner says, AmaWaterways is sailing 22 ships at close to two-thirds capacity.  “I am not unhappy but also not wildly enthusiastic about the current season.”

And even if a repeal of the testing mandate is forthcoming, one big question remains: will airlines be able to keep up with the expected flood of travelers or will there be more chaos like we’ve seen during travel surges over the past year?

“The whole infrastructure is not set up to snap back to these rapid growth rates,” Scott Kirby, CEO of United Airlines, said during the company’s first quarter earnings call with analysts last week.

Kirby and his counterparts at American Airlines and Delta Air Lines say they are seeing vibrant demand for spring and summer travel, but are taking a measured approach to flight scheduling to avoid more glitches-turned-travel-nightmares, according to The New York Times.

Adding to the potential for summer travel chaos: jet fuel shortages. Skyrocketing fuel prices, a supply crunch due to Russian sanctions, pipeline issues and truck driver shortages are causing problems for some Western airports, according to CNN.  

Here’s some of the other news we’re following this week:

  • Goop flop. What if Gwyneth Paltrow held a Goop-themed cruise and no one showed up? Apparently, that’s kind of what happened on the much-hyped launch of Celebrity Cruises’ new partnership with the wellness guru. Read Julia Naftulin’s report for Insider.

  • Going green. Since the pandemic, we’ve been hearing a lot about travel companies coming back better on environmental and social responsibility. And we’re glad to see many are following through with real commitments, not just marketing gimmicks that drive PR instead of meaningful change (“greenwashing.”) This week, PhocusWire takes a look at what agencies including American Express Global Business Travel, Booking.com and Expedia are doing to help clients travel greener. 

  • Shore power. Even the cruise industry is upping its game on sustainability, with its global trade association, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), saying this week that that by 2035, all cruise ships will essentially be equipped to use electric shore power as part of a member commitment to pursue net-zero carbon cruising by 2050, according to Cruise Industry News.

  • Soaring room rates. The hotel industry’s roaring back to life, and that means – you guessed it – higher room rates. The average U.S. hotel daily room rate last month was $146.60, the highest for any month on record, according to hospitality data firm STR. When adjusted for inflation, that’s just 2% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels.

  • Antidote to soaring rates - more hotels? All the new hotels coming online in some key markets could help curb those rate hikes, if – and that’s a big if – supply exceeds demand. A new report from hotel tracking gurus at Lodging Econometrics reveals the big markets with the highest number of hotels set to open in 2022:

    • New York, 77 new hotels, for a 9% increase in supply

    • Austin, 26 hotels (+7%)

    • Atlanta, 20 hotels  (+2%)

    • Los Angeles, 19 hotels  (+3%)

    • Detroit, 18 hotels (+7%)

Dispatch Norway: A couple’s remote-work detox

Travel Essential friends and incessant world travelers Maya and Patrick Fisher call the London area home. But during lockdowns they looked at life a little differently. They intentionally picked destinations where they could work remotely but find more than just a change of scenery. In Norway, they discovered a calming detox from the city’s social-media-obsessed noise and proximity to nature. They shared their story. - Barbara

We arrived in Sogndal, a serene village nestled in the Sogndalsfjorden fjord, the deepest fjord in the world. We rented a charming cottage through Airbnb for six weeks. Built in 1927, our cabin had an indoor fireplace, outdoor fire pit and a wood-fired hot tub. Although the hot tub took a good five hours to heat up the first time, it was quicker after that when we left the cover on. And this Airbnb had the most stunning views! We would take a 5-minute car ferry boat each time we needed to leave the village and head East.

Beauty and setting aside, the price was right. We were able to negotiate a great price as we were staying longer than the average guest and stayed off-season. Airbnb negotiation tip: We always message the host and 90% of the time they will reduce it). We paid just under £45 (around $56) per night. Without the discount it was £115 (around $145) per night. The owner offered a monthly discount, and then we got a further savings of £300 (around $376) after messaging. It just took one message to get the discount after a little introduction of who we are,  and also because our booking was super last minute. 

Norway has a fantastic toll road and ferry ticketing system based on  registration-plate recognition tied to your easy-to-create account. (The Fishers drove there from the U.K. to minimize potential exposure to Covid-19.) Norway toll tip: Even as a tourist, you can register your car prior to arrival in Norway and then pay the invoice six or so weeks later. Electric cars are exempt from fees on roads and ferries, and it seemed like one in three cars we drove past was a Tesla. Norway incentives residents to buy EVs, and some 70% of car sales in Norway are electric.

Our Airbnb’s backyard was the Fjord. We built nature into our life. On weekends and both before and after work, we hiked. We also kayaked on the fjord as the cottage came with kayaks and life jackets.  We visited the local public swimming pool in Lustrabadet and the many outdoor hot spas that always overlooked a beautiful landscape. We spent one weekend in Bergen, which in our opinion is a lot nicer than the capital, Oslo. It's also a lot more scenic. 

Our work-life balance was a dream in Norway. And even though the cost of living in Norway is one of the highest in the world, we spent a lot less money than we do back home. Plus, the never ending list of free activities on your doorstep is priceless. – Maya and Patrick 

Time saver:  O’Hare’s upgraded people mover 

Our business trip to South Bend, Ind., last week gave us the chance to experiment with Chicago O’Hare’s newly expanded people mover. (The Chicago Sun-Times takes a closer look.) We can attest it's a game-changing time saver for ORD, especially if you’re renting a car. While it’s easy to grab an airport bus, buses take forever. Our trip last week from the United Airlines terminal to the car rental building, for instance, took a good 15 minutes due to the throngs of people getting on and off while wrangling bags and kids in the airport's awful traffic.  In contrast, the trip from the car rental building to the United terminal via the people mover took less than half the time and felt way less chaotic. The catch? The people mover remains hard to find, especially if it’s your first time. It’s so new that we couldn’t find signage in the airport or the rental car building. We recommend asking airport staffers.

Say buon giorno. Connect. Share a story ... Travel Editor co-founders Jeri and Barbara have a combined 40 years of experience talking about travel and we'd love to talk to you! Email us at [email protected].