OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Cold, snowy and gloomy weather have people living in the Kansas City area wishing for a vacation.
At Overland Park-based Love to Travel, owner and travel agent Kim Cook said more people than usual are calling her up looking for a warm getaway.
“We've had a lot of calls from people wanting to go very quickly, 'Hey, it's Tuesday, I can go on Saturday. What do you have available?' We've been able to facilitate a lot of people going out of town within a week,” she said.
Spring break typically hits in the middle of March, but Cook said most people begin planning in the fall. This year, she’s had people searching for last-minute trips.
“We have had a lot more people planning this month in February. 'Hey, can we still get any space for spring break? We weren't going to go, we decided it's been such a horrible winter we really want to get away,'” she described her conversations.
Cook said most flights out of Kansas City International Airport are booked during prime spring break time. However, while doing this interview, she found a last-minute deal for four nights at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico, beginning March 4 for less than $1,000 per person, including roundtrip, non-stop airfare from KCI to Mexico.
Other popular destinations for spring break include anywhere with a beach. Cook works almost exclusively in the Caribbean and said Costa Rica has become a hot spot. No matter where travelers land, she said people want options at their destinations.
“Everybody is so interested in what they can do when they get there. Really to explore the destination, be able to experience it kind of like a local. I think that is so appealing,” Cook pointed out.
She said most travel agents do not charge travelers a fee, but rather collect a commission from the resort or hotel clients book. So it doesn’t cost traveler extra to use an agent.
Cook pointed out there are cheap flights out of the St. Louis airport to warm destinations if you don’t mind starting your vacation with a trip across the state.
