AAA Alabama recommends holding off on European travel

AAA Alabama expects the 2022 summer travel season to be one of the busiest in years.

Clay Ingram with AAA Alabama said booking agents are “even booking travel into 2023.”

Birmingham Airport Authority officials told us February's end of the month numbers saw around a 110% increase in flights compared to that time last year.

They said that is still below pre-pandemic numbers.

International bookings are on the rise, but what does Ingram recommend for travelers looking to book European trips as Russia's assault on Ukraine continues?

“If you’re planning to go in the very near future you might want to reconsider that, but if you’re planning to go in May, June, or beyond, then it may pay you to kinda wait and see what happens with that situation before you make any decisions" he said.

Ingram said he’s not familiar with anyone canceling their European trips, but said travelers have been asking questions on what to do with their existing European bookings.

He doesn't believe the more popular European getaways, like London, will see travel impacts.

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He said if you’re traveling abroad stay informed on what’s going on in that country and its health policies.

Also make sure to have travelers insurance.

Ingram said some polices could cover your trip if your vacation is impacted by the Russian attacks.

He added "every travel insurance company has a different set of polices with different levels of coverage from minimal coverage to things like 'cancel for any reason'.”

Ingram said they normally don’t get many requests for bookings for Ukraine and Russia.

He told us some of the more popular bookings right now are Caribbean and U.S. coastline destinations.