According to EHow.com, the inflating price of airfare is directly related to the spike in gas prices. With the national average price for a gallon of gas nearing $4.20, the cost to fuel a plane has substantially increased, without even accounting for the increased distance it takes for an international flight.

With the degree of diversity at AHS, traveling outside the U.S. over summer is not uncommon. However, the ability to do so is becoming increasingly challenging due to these factors. Between the necessities of airfare and hotels, people are becoming less able to make these frequent trips to visit family and travel in foreign countries. Some students and their families are being forced to shorten their trips to other countries or cancel them altogether. Travel to other countries has always been more expensive than domestic travel due to added expenses including passports, lengthened flights and the difference in cost of living in other countries. However, some students have been able to find ways around these expenses.

“My mom is in the airforce, so she has access to space available flights,” sophomore Nora Belkhayat said. “The military flies personnel to a base and if there are seats left on the flight, retirees can get on for free or as little as $30. We stayed with friends the whole trip, which allowed us to avoid the cost of hotels. We ended up only spending money on trains and souvenirs.”

Although a majority of the expenses encountered are unavoidable, there are some places in which you can save or account for the price shock.

When planning out your flight, be prepared for the recent addition of carry-on fees for each bag you take on the flight, plus the fee for the rest of your baggage to be stored below the plane. To reduce this, organize your packing to create more space and reduce the number of suitcases. These fees will vary between airlines, so check with the airline ahead of time to be prepared.

In addition, when planning out your trip, think about the cheapest days and times for flight, especially when traveling abroad. Flight times in the middle of the night or early morning, as well as in the middle of the week when traffic is low, could be significantly cheaper than daytime flights.

For foreign travel, plan out each day’s activities ahead of time so as not to run into unexpected or increased prices. Booking activities ahead of time will allow for better online advertised prices as well as having a planned spending budget, which will free up money for impulse buying.