As online booking sites soared in popularity, travel agents became the butt of jokes. But the travel agents are once again in demand as travelers are starting to need vacations from planning their vacations. In an American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) survey, 44 percent of travel agents said that they had more clients than they'd had the previous year, with the strongest rebound in rail and hotel reservations.

More than half of all respondents of the American Express Spending & Savings Tracker survey said they are planning a summer vacation. Among the affluent and young professionals, the numbers planning vacations are even higher. For travel agents, this is good news. When it comes to vacation planning, more than a third said they are turning to offline resources, including travel agents, for planning and booking.

© mikecogh

As online booking sites soared in popularity, travel agents became the butt of jokes. But the travel agents are once again in demand as travelers are starting to need vacations from planning their vacations. In an American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) survey, 44 percent of travel agents said that they had more clients than they'd had the previous year, with the strongest rebound in rail and hotel reservations.

More than half of all respondents of the American Express Spending & Savings Tracker survey said they are planning a summer vacation. Among the affluent and young professionals, the numbers planning vacations are even higher. For travel agents, this is good news. When it comes to vacation planning, more than a third said they are turning to offline resources, including travel agents, for planning and booking.

© mikecogh

© Oldmaison

The marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton is expected to draw over a million visitors to London on the last weekend in April. In particular, tourists from the US and continental Europe are flocking to book travel, with Expedia UK reporting a 266% rise in bookings for that weekend. Somewhat ironically, though, the number of Britons who are trying to escape what looks to be massive crowds in London for the spectacle is also surging.

It's not so much that Britons are trying to avoid the royal event, as they are taking advantage of public holidays to get up to 11 straight days off, and for many this meant an opportunity to travel Europe and elsewhere. Specifically, there is a four-day Easter bank holiday, followed by the royal wedding, and then a three-day May Day weekend.