CheapOair®, a leading flight-focused hybrid travel agency, today announced its top ten domestic and international destinations for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday.

Orlando tops this year’s list of most-booked domestic Memorial Day weekend destinations followed by Las Vegas and New York City. Data also revealed that Fort Lauderdale is the most affordable of the top booked destinations this year, with an average roundtrip price of $275 — an 11% decrease in price from last year. Overall, domestic airfares are down an average of 5% compared to the same period in 2017.

London, England is the most-booked international destination for the long Memorial Day weekend, followed by Cancun, Mexico and Rome, Italy. Overall, travel to international destinations has seen an average of a 2% increase, however some destinations, such as those in Asia, are seeing as much as a 19% decrease over last year.  

“Despite the unusually low fares we’ve seen during the early part of 2018, travelers should expect prices for Memorial Day to be on par with previous years,” said Tom Spagnola, Senior Vice President Supplier Relations at CheapOair. “Average airfares, international and domestic combined, are only expected to be about 2% lower compared to 2017. The sooner you can book your flights, the more likely it is that you’ll find a decent price.”

Data also shows that domestic vacations, along with trips within North America and to the Caribbean are shorter in length, compared to long haul destinations, such as Europe and Asia.

“The added capacity in the market has made this a great year for finding amazing deals on airfare,” said Sam S. Jain, Founder and CEO at CheapOair. “However, due to the heavy demand for travel over the long weekend, consumers should try to book their flights as early as possible. Basic economy fares have a limited number of seats, so if you are looking for those extremely low prices, flexibility around when you book and when you travel will be essential.”

By consistently monitoring travel trends, CheapOair’s mission is to educate and aid consumers and travel professionals in both planning their travel accommodations and staying current on the most popular destinations. With a portfolio of products, including rate and schedule information from 450 global airlines, CheapOair is a great way to book the travel that’s right for you.

 

For more information, please visit www.CheapOair.com, www.cheapoair.com/mobile, or our social media pages, www.Facebook.com/CheapOair and www.twitter.com/cheapoair.

 

 About CheapOair

CheapOair is a flight-focused, hybrid travel agency that enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone or live chat. CheapOair (https://www.cheapoair.com, 1-646-738-4820) bridges the gap between an online and traditional travel agency with certified travel agents available to help find deals and offers to destinations worldwide on over 450 airlines, 1 million hotels, and 100s of car rental companies. Partner airlines benefit from access to CheapOair’s broad customer base that books high yield international travel and add-on ancillaries at above the industry average. Follow CheapOair on Facebook and Twitter to learn how to travel the world for less.

 

[1] Based on passenger numbers for travel booked as of 4/12/18 departing 05/20/18 – 5/28/18 and returning 5/28/18 – 6/10/2018.

[2] Based on average roundtrip airfare for tickets booked as of 4/12/18 for travel departing 05/20/18 – 5/28/18 and returning 5/28/18 – 6/10/2018. Average airfare rounded to the nearest dollar.

[3] Based on average roundtrip airfare for tickets booked as of 4/12/18 for travel departing 05/20/18 – 5/28/18 and returning 5/28/18 – 6/10/2018 compared to all tickets booked for travel departing 5/21/17 – 5/29/17 and returning 5/29/17-6/11/17.

[4] Based on average trip length for passengers departing 05/20/18 – 5/28/18 and returning 5/28/18 – 6/10/2018.

 

Leading Online Travel Agency offers tips for first-time solo travelers

Women are undeniably changing the travel industry as shown by a rise in popularity in both female group travel and in female solo travel.  CheapOair.com is proud to support the traveling women of the world and has some advice for women planning to set out on their first-ever adventure alone.

Do your research

There are some places that are very welcoming for female travelers and others that should be visited with caution. When choosing your destination, it’s a good practice to research local laws, customs, and travel advisories. This will come in handy when you’re deciding where to go, where to stay, how to get around, and even what to pack.

Talk to a travel agent

With all the information available online, sometimes reviewing your options can get overwhelming. A travel agent can help you sort through all of the flights, hotels, rental cars, and activities to find the best options for you. They can also help plan your entire itinerary from start to finish to ensure everything fits together perfectly. Some travel sites even have special phone-only deals that can help you save money. Talking to an agent might sound old-fashioned, but there’s nothing wrong in working with an experienced travel professional to make sure you get the exact trip you want. CheapOair’s trained travel agents are available by telephone at 1-646-738-4820.

 Be aware of your surroundings

Once you’ve selected where you want to go, CheapOair.com recommends studying maps and travel guides on the places you plan to visit. Try to find out if there are any areas or neighborhoods that are considered unsafe or should be avoided by tourist. Knowing where you are will not only make you feel more comfortable, but it will also help you look more confident. The more confidence you have, the less vulnerable you will seem to anyone looking to take advantage of tourists.

Get outside of your comfort zone

Solo travel is a great time to really challenge yourself. Put your devices away and talk to someone you wouldn’t normally talk to, go on an excursion you wouldn’t normally go on, and embrace the fact that you are the sole decision maker and it is only your opinion that matters for the duration of the trip.

For more information, please visit www.cheapoair.com, plus follow our social media pages, www.facebook.com/cheapoair, www.twitter.com/cheapoair, and www.instagram.com/cheapoair.  Download the CheapOair app for Apple or Android for an on-the-go travel concierge experience.

 About CheapOair

CheapOair is a flight-focused hybrid travel agency that enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone (1-646-738-4820) or live chat. Part of Fareportal’s family of travel brands, CheapOair bridges the gap between an online travel agency and a traditional agency with certified travel agents available to help find deals and offers to destinations worldwide on over 450 airlines, a million hotels, and 100s of car rental companies. Follow CheapOair on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram to learn how to travel the world for less.

 

 

 

In November 2017, the U.S. Department of Commerce reported that while women fill 47% of total U.S. jobs, they only hold 24% of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) jobs[i].

Despite being in the minority, Sarah Steele and Jialu Yan, both Data Scientists at Fareportal – a company on the forefront of technological innovation in the travel industry – are two key players who are driving the company’s innovation, as well as paving the way for females in the data science field.

Sara Steele was drawn to data science from a young age thanks to sci-fi series, Star Trek. She became fascinated by the machine learning that seemed to make many of the plot lines possible. This fascination carried her all the way through a Master’s Degree from Columbia University to her latest endeavor,  a PhD from New York University.

“I love working with data because it’s like a puzzle,” said Steel. “You put in the time working though it and then when you finally figure it out, you have this ‘Ah-Ha’ moment, giving you a great sense of accomplishment.”

A graduate of Stevens Institute of Technology, Jialu Yan also credits television for her interest in the field.  She recalls learning about how, in 2011, Netflix was able to guarantee that their first attempt at original content would be a success. Ultimately, they used big data to analyze their audiences’ interests in order to concept, cast, and produce their hit political thriller, House of Cards. “I was so intrigued by the insights about their audience that they were able to extract,” said Yan. “When I started to think about how this can help us solve real life problems, I decided it was something I wanted to pursue professionally.”

From machine learning, to artificial intelligence, to the internet of things, the field is exploding and is only expected to continue its rapid growth for years to come. Yan envisions data science moving from being a separate department within companies to being intrinsic across all teams and verticals, driving decisions and becoming the key to building products.

“Working on a team of smart women has provided me with a great atmosphere to grow professionally,” said Yan. “The team works very closely together and we are able to generate a lot of inspiration and new ideas. As a whole, the environment at Fareportal doesn’t put any extra pressure on us to perform because we are females; it is more focused around our own personal capabilities.”

“Having women working on our data, technology, and product teams means more than just checking a diversity box,” said Corissa Leong, SVP of People & Culture at Fareportal. “We’ve observed that our teams excel when there is diversity of all kinds. Our management and our employees highly value the different ideas and perspectives each person can bring to the table.”

Steele feels fortunate to work alongside other scientific-minded women at Fareportal. She can recount a lack of female mentorship during her education and career and hopes to change that for the next generation of data enthusiasts.

“Young women should consider data science as a career for the same reason anyone should consider it — its powerful, engaging, and rewarding, but most importantly, it’s changing the world around us every day,” says Steele.

About Fareportal

Fareportal is a travel technology company powering a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company owned and operated global contact centers, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships providing customers access to over 450 airlines, 1 million hotels, and hundreds of car rental companies around the globe. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone, or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yielding international travel and add-on ancillaries.

[i] http://www.esa.doc.gov/reports/women-stem-2017-update