Book holiday trips early, travel agent says

As the holidays approach, an Upstate travel agency is encouraging people to book holiday trips early. “Just plan early and go ahead and be prepared,” Deb Metcalf, co-owner of Travel Agents International, said. “Things change daily in this world right now. Be prepared that what might not be in place now, might be in place in two months.”Metcalf recommends travelers get travel insurance and book longer layovers in case there are any hiccups in their trip. This past weekend, American Airlines reported hundreds of cancellations and delays due to bad weather and staffing shortages. “I’m telling people, let’s plan on at least a two and a half hour layover, where I used to say an hour was going to be plenty no matter what airport,” Metcalf said. “Coming back from outside of the country back to United States, I am saying close to three.”At Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, communications manager Michelle Newman said the airport is expecting a high volume of travelers this holiday season.“We are about 80% of our passenger traffic compared to 2019,” Newman said. “We’re really expecting a very strong holiday season with a lot of travel demand as people are getting vaccinated and things are opening up.”The airport reminds travelers COVID-19 protocols are in place, including the mask mandate. Newman said the airport also has additional sanitization and touchless procedures in place. Newman recommends people arrive two hours before their flight to give themselves plenty of time. “We are expecting a higher volume of travelers this year and in a lot of instances, it’s people who may not have traveled for a really long time so take time to refamiliarize yourself with those procedures, review what is and is not allowed in your baggage and just make sure you leave enough time to have a stress free holiday travel experience,” Newman said.