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‘Revenge Travel’ on rise with trips increasing

Whether you're making up a cancelled trip in 2020 or finally taking a trip put off during the pandemic, you're not alone. Many are calling it "revenge travel.”

SAN DIEGO — Got your bags packed and ready to go? Well you're not the only one with ‘Revenge Travel’ on the rise and more people taking to the skies.

The clock was ticking for San Diegan Sandy Koenig to travel to see family in Denver before August.

"Let's use this before it expires because I think I found with vouchers in those kind of thing, you can't let them expire so you have to stay on top of it." Koenig said.


But on her way to use one Southwest Airlines voucher, Koenig scored one more voucher.

"I just got another one because I gave up the flight, so now they're paying for my flight, plus I got 400 bucks,” Koenig said.

The mad dash for many to hurry to use vouchers from cancelled trips of 2020 or those simply vengeful to vacation is being called "Revenge Travel."

"They feel pressure to book something,” said Bobbie Findlay of Bobbie's Travel in Carmel Mountain.

Findlay has been a San Diego travel agent for 36 years and says people are trying to book trips fast before the school year starts.

“The families that I see that I am booking are scrambling, where is there availability, where do I need to check if I need a Covid test to go,” Findlay said.

With the pressure being on to fly out fast, Findlay says don't cave, but call your travel agency or airline to extend your voucher and give a good reason.

"Whether they are apprehensive about the Delta virus about people if they are vaccinated or not,” Findlay says.

Revenge Travel rages as flights all over are being cancelled with short notice. Just under 70,000 people traveled through San Diego Airport in a single day.

"We are definitely seeing more people through the terminals and we have been since March of this year. Most of the people I think are just excited to be able to travel again and get to see and maybe take some of those trips that maybe they were not able to during Covid-19,” said San Diego Airport spokesperson Sabrina LoPiccolo.

Traveler Jimmy Cunningham says he went through big crowds in Memphis.

"I was nervous and when I heard someone cough I kind of freaked out a little bit. The airport was not empty, it was a lot of people both flights I took they were full to capacity,” said Jimmy Cunningham.

Findlay says get travel insurance and book sooner than later as prices aren't getting any cheaper.

WATCH RELATED: As summer travel increases, more flights getting delayed or cancelled (July 2021)

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