Travel Trends and Hacks for the Summer of 2025

Here are some handy tips for saving time and money when flying or driving.

Travel tips and hacks may save you money and time. Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

Americans are feeling upbeat about summer travel, with 92 percent of them planning to fly or hit the road in 2025, according to Fidelity National Financial Company’s website, IPX.

While airlines lament a decline in passengers, road trips are the No. 1 choice. According to Fox Weather, 75 percent of 2025 summer travelers plan to drive.

As the economy remains tenuous and funds are tight, these travel tips and hacks may save you money and time.

Airlines May Cut Prices on Domestic Flights

With air travel still projected to be popular, airlines are seeing a mixed bag of travelers. International flights are holding strong, but domestic flights have weakened.

A couple of factors weighing on airlines are a drop in government travel. Government layoffs have diminished domestic ticket sales for many airlines. Business travel is also down. Business travelers are key to major carriers as they are less price-conscious and book at the last minute when ticket prices are high.

As regular domestic travelers are boycotting airlines as well, this could result in lower ticket prices.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), airfares fell 5.3 percent in March from March 2024. March is usually a time for spring break and has historically been a busy flying season.

With lower ticket prices, flying might be a viable option for travelers.

Average Cost of a Road Trip

Road trips are generally less expensive than flying. But expenses like gas, food, and motels can add up quickly.

It also depends on whether you are traveling to one state or five states. However, according to Yahoo Finance, you should plan to spend $1,000 per person for a week’s road trip.

Tips for Trips

There are many ways to save time and money—from planning your trip by day to using travel apps. Here are some tips that will come in handy.

AirHelp App for Canceled or Delayed Flights

AirHelp is a mobile app that helps air travelers claim compensation for flight delays, overbookings, or cancellations.

AirHelp analyzes flight details to determine eligibility for compensation and handles the entire claim process. It files the claim and will even take potential legal action if you want.

The app is free, but it charges a fee if it successfully recovers compensation for you.

Track and Use Points With Daily Drop App

The Daily Drop mobile app is a search tool that finds the best deals on hotels and flights when travelers are using points or cash. It searches over 140 flights and hotel programs simultaneously to find the best deals by comparing cash prices and point redemption rates.

The app has features like tracking points—so you don’t have to—deal alerts, and a community forum.

Overall, Daily Drop helps people maximize their miles and points.

Travel App That Tracks Spending

The Travel Spend mobile app helps you track spending while on the road. It’s especially good when traveling with others. It allows you to:

• Log expenses
• Split costs with fellow travelers
• Track budgets
• Manage multiple currencies

It automatically converts expenses into your home currency and allows you to tally the costs in different currencies.

Viator for Booking Attractions and Activities

Viator makes it easy to book everything from a simple tour to an extreme adventure and anything in between.

Input your destination and travel dates, and the site shows all available activities, tours, etc. It also gives you ratings and prices, making it a good way to plan your itinerary and budget.

Stay Connected With Inexpensive eSIMs

An eSIM or embedded subscriber identity module is a chip built into your phone that stores your cellular service profile.

When you travel internationally, your local carrier, like AT&T or Verizon, doesn’t go with you unless you pay a hefty fee or pay expensive roaming charges.

An eSIM for travel is a digital SIM card embedded in your phone that allows you to connect to a local cellular network without needing to swap physical SIM cards. It lets you stay connected while traveling without paying roaming charges.

Airalo provides digital eSIMs to various countries worldwide. It is often less expensive than your American local carrier, and you won’t have to purchase an eSIM for each area you visit.

Use Gasbuddy for Best Gas Prices

Although many on the West Coast would disagree, Statista states that the average price for regular gas in the United States was $3.15 in April. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gas prices in California were $4.77 at the same time.

Regardless of where you travel, if you’re driving, try using GasBuddy to find the least expensive gas. It provides a map of nearby gas stations and displays their prices.

As an added benefit, it has GasBack Rewards, where you earn points for purchases through GasBuddy partners. Rewards can be redeemed for future gas purchases.

It also has a fuel card that allows you to save money at participating stations.

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