After more than a year of being cooped up, Americans are ready to get back out into the world and travel again. So ready, in fact, that travel bookings are skyrocketing for some places and experiences to the degree it’s actually getting hard to book them at all. (If you haven’t heard of the great rental car shortage of 2021, you’re living under a rock, and trying for a weekend vacation rental in some popular coastal towns is downright laughable at this point.)
This has several implications for travelers who have yet to book some or all of their summer getaways as we head into Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of the summer travel season—availability could be hard to come by and prices may be higher than you expected. But fear not, dear procrastinators, we’re here to fill you in on which destinations could give you some booking trouble, alternative options you may want to look into instead, and ways to still get good deals on summer 2021 travel.