Tweets from Last Night - Summer Travel Trends 2012

 Last night Travelers Night In got HOT, #TNI was all about Summer Travel Trends. Three lucky travelers on twitter won $200 American Express gift cards to go towards their next trip! Check out American Express's Spending and Saving Tracker for more summer travel trends and read on to hear where traveler's predictions for this summer in travel.

Q1. #AmExTravel Spending & Saving Tracker found 59% of consumers will plan summer travel. What are your travel plans this summer?  

• So far, a Eurotrip w my parents 2 Paris, Krakow, Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg, Munich/Bavaria; & trip home 2 Mpls, plus SC & Georgia!! SaraKateTravel
• Not sure where we will be going but it will definitely include the beach, good friends and some kayaking! kingandprince
• Summer 2012 Travel Plans: #France, #Cornwall, #Italy and #Greece plus hopefully a #kayaking trip along Turkish Coast lethers
• Spontaneity is the lifeblood of adventure, nothing better than escaping at the last minute to an unvisited gem MalloryOnTravel
• London, Ireland, then a wedding in a castle in the Scottish Highlands...gonna be a GOOOOOD summer! zipsetandrea

Q2. What is your top summer travel trend prediction for 2012?  

• people drive less due to gas prices hilaryetravels
• think we might actually see a rise in longer-haul travel as airlines run sales and gas prices rise...   GeneralTours
• Top summer travel trend - live-tweeting, live-Instagramming, constant travel updates! bitesizedtravel
• I see more clients traveling and taking longer trips again. They're sick of not doing so! Chimeratravel
• I predict the London Olympics will be the buzz of the season. CruiseBuzz
• I predict myself going to #Vegas. deeboochi
• The return of the fanny pack. reidtravels

Q3. Off the beaten track destination that people will be headed to this summer?  

• The adirondak mountains... they are a hidden gem for travelers and site seers   unkatchable73
• Off the beaten track Istria, Croatia: romantic Rovinj, pine-shaded Adriatic coves   amytravels
• We plan to go for an adventure in the Balkans, one of the last real off the beaten path destination in Europe Hejorama
• National Parks in Wales... far enough away from Jubilympics and hidden gems chibeba
• Classic American cities are coming back! #Detroit, #Philadelphia, #Chicago 10Best
• La Ruta Maya... Heck, @lonelyplanet predicted it and its really happening!   #Mexico #Belize #Guatemala #ElSalvador belizeadventure
• Central European cities like Budapest and Krakow. Full of history and amazing sightseeing - without the crowds Travora

Cute kids in El Salvador

Q4. 42% of travelers are keeping costs down by driving to their destinations. Best road trip destinations for summer 2012?  

• The GA/SC Coast! Wild Horses on Cumberland Island, Classic Southern Charm on St. Simons Island & Beach fun on Hilton Head   kingandprince
• Not a roadtrippper but if you are and in an eastern US border state come to Toronto, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Stratford, Algonquin Park GRobin
• I live in San Francsico, so my road trip options are bountiful! Going to Napa again for sure ephemerratic
• We vote roadtripping to whatever corner of the US is opposite you! Guess that means us NYC folk should head to Arizona! TravelSquire
• Every parent should road trip their kids to Washington DC once! TravelMaestro

San Francisco

Q5. What are your airline predictions for this summer? Costs? Fees? Trends?  

• Probably some good last min deals and people heading to South America, mainly Brazil. Its the country to watch.   KirkCole
• Summer airline costs always go up. That's why I use point, buy on sale and book far in advance. Robin
• If my experience last week was any indication, expect a dramatic decrease in the level of hotel housekeeping services. FrankDiCesare
• More celebrity meltdowns on planes #travel   DitchCity

Q6. 16% of travelers plan to travel solo this summer. Would you plan a solo trip? Where?  

• LOVE solo travel! I'd go to Spain 20sTravel
• Of course! Travelling solo is a growth experience like no other. "In Europe I met a lot of great people. I also met myself"   BarefootAtlas
• I have 2 kids, I DREAM of taking a solo trip. Anywhere. North Dakota. Outer Siberia. amytravels
• Dreaming of a road trip from Dublin to Cork in #Ireland TravelingPerly
• Solo to #Sweden. After their deep dark cold winters I hear they are quit the partiers. wanderlustng
• I'd totally plan a solo trip! Spain, India, Ireland (& of course Canada) are great places to explore & meet cool ppl! ^RD ctccct

Castle in Ireland

Q7. The perfect summer travel day includes…

• If in the car, windows down, radio turned up to fav station, rocking down the road with great company! Chimeratravel
• Beach time and A/C time in equal doses Liz_Webber
• A driver & a private chef from @GreystoneEstate HennArtOnline
• Try to go somewhere historic, popular, secluded, then delicious!   discoverusaCA
• The perfect summer travel day includes water, a beautiful beach, a lake, a pool . . .. DonNadeau

Pool and ocean in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

Q8. More than half of travelers are using the internet to plan & book travel.  How do you plan a trip?  

• The good old-fashioned way- I talk to people. Tho I will admit to a bunch of Internet research. santafetraveler
• 100% internet - book accomms directly, transportation, activity research, recommendations bitesizedtravel
• Online research and guidebook planning. Then great eateries throw off plans and it becomes a foodie trip :) NewYorkHabitat
• I find a cheap airfare at @airfarewatchdog and go ChangeableView
• is a great way to plan travel! I use twitter a lot though, or base it on cheap airfare and go from there! deacondoesdc

Q9. Do you plan to book travel using reward points from loyalty programs? Tips on how to get the most out of points?  

• With the prices now , points helps a lot to travel marilola33
• I get the most out of @alaskaair mileage program so family travel is on miles & companion fares. Brilliant! alizasherman
• I like credit card travel points because they don't restrict you to a certain airline, destination or operator.   ^RD ctccct
• I approach reward points in the same way I like to approach any planning: Being flexible about destinations & dates. DonNadeau
• There are no black out dates when you use Platinum Points - as long as their are seats, u r in #AmExTravel thetravelmom

Q10. #AmExTravel Spending & Saving Tracker found Cayman Islands, Italy & UK are top int’l destinations. What's your 2012 dream vacation?  

• Any Olympic-hosting city is the place to be during Games years. So, naturally...London. raisethatglass
• One month in South Africa is my dream vacation. I'm pretty sure i'd cry tears of joy! kingandprince
• Dream vaca? No wifi, no subway, no phones... silence.   TravelSquire
• South America. The whole continent. For the rest of the year. Job done.   Travel_Rich
• India. S. Africa for shark diving, cuba, Tran Siberian Railway, the Mongol Rally. Those are my next targets   MarkVogler

Ecuador

A special thanks to TravelSquire Smartertravel JohnnyJet and thetravelmom for hosting Travelers' Night In #TNI!

Make sure to tune into #TNI on twitter next week, we will be solving Summer Travel Annoyances and American Express gift cards will be up for grabs!