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MEA break is one month away, travel experts recommend buying tickets now

Buying early saves money, but it will cost you in flexibility, unless you buy the right tickets.

MINNEAPOLIS — When life can change in a minute, it's pretty hard to make plans, especially travel plans, but if you want to avoid the MEA break rush, and the higher prices, travel experts say now is the time to buy.

"I would say to do it  ASAP,” Carrousel Travel Vice President Doug Moorhouse says.

“A lot of things are already kind of limited for that weekend.”

The MEA break is exactly one month away.

That may sound like a lot of time to schedule your flight and to book a hotel, but Moorhouse says the longer you wait, the higher the prices will be.

“We are finding that places are not operating at 100% capacity and so things are very limited,” Moorhouse says.

Buying early can save you a lot of money, but you also give up a little flexibility, unless you buy the right tickets or buy extra insurance.

Nick Serati at the Thrifty Traveler says it's important to read the fine print with every flight, hotel and activity you book during your trip.

"Delta and United are offering free changes and cancellations for a voucher on basic economy tickets through the end of the year. They are the only two airlines doing that,” Serati says.

“And you can make those changes up until 24 hours before your flight.”

Other airlines are offering the same protection, but Serati says you'll likely have to pay a little extra.

Same goes for hotels, most are very flexible, but if you come across a really good deal, often times with those deals you can't get your money back if COVID cases go up and you decide it's not safe to travel.

"One of the things we've seen during the pandemic is things can change drastically week to week,” Serati explains.

“A month may seem like a lot of time between now and MEA break, but it’s probably a good idea to book your accommodations now.”

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