And They're Off ... to Distant Places on Trim Budgets

Neil Wernick and Michele Rifkin are looking for less expensive travel options this summer. Photo by Greg Bezanis

That seems to be the ticket for vacationers in this summer of our financial discontent.

"In the past, we haven't had to think very much about budget when we talked about travel. We just kind of decided where we wanted to go, got out The New York Times travel section and went from there. This year, budget constraints will make that different," said Neil Wernick of Elkins Park, chief marketing officer with Lincoln Investment in Wyncote.

"I do know people who have been laid off in the past year who have curtailed or cancelled travel plans, even modest ones," agreed Melissa Klapper of Merion Station, a professor of history at Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J.

The worst economic climate in recent history is prompting singles and families throughout the Delaware Valley to revisit their itineraries.

Even travelers who are not jettisoning that cruise to Alaska altogether are at least re-evaluating the bottom line.

A recent Bloomberg News survey predicted the jobless rate will reach 9.4 percent this year and remain elevated at least through 2011. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of unemployed rose in May from 787,000, for a total of 14.5 million people.

And then there's the "give-back" factor: A survey conducted for the online travel agency Expedia.com estimates that employed adults in the United States will forfeit a total of 436 million vacation days in 2009.

While her job as part of an online-learning team at Drexel University appears secure, Julie Allmayer knows her fair share of people who have been laid off or furloughed in recent months -- enough to make her think twice about travel in the near future.

On a scale of one to 10, out-of-pocket costs rank "maybe an eight or a nine" in factors driving her vacation planning, said Allmayer, a member of the Jewish Graduate Students Network who recently bought a two-bedroom, two-bath condo in East Falls, with all its attendant costs.

"Finances really play heavily" on her vacation thinking, she noted, especially this year. That translates to shorter vacations in recent months -- trips lasting three or four days, usually in conjunction with a marathon or a bike ride for a favorite charity -- and none at all this summer.

"What I try to do is incorporate my vacation into these fundraising trips that I do," said Allmayer, who is in the early stages of planning a 100-mile bike trip around Lake Tahoe in 2010 in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

For executive Neil Wernick and his wife Michele Rifkin, owner of an occupational-therapy business, their fabled Fairmount vacations -- staying at branches of the upscale hotel in venues such as Sonoma, Calif. -- are, well, history.

At least for now.

Adam Wishkovsky went to Puerto Rico for his anniversary, though he wanted to go to Israel.

It Means Driving, Not Flying
Scaling back this summer means visiting friends in Massachusetts or upstate New York, maybe visiting Mont Tremblant, north of Montreal (driving, not flying) or taking a biking jaunt through Provence in France -- although that last option is "kind of way on the outside in terms of affordability," acknowledged Wernick.

"We're early in our planning," said the marketing executive. "Finances will play a very large role; they will determine where we go, how we travel and where we stay."

The couple's traditional camping trip with friends is still on for the Fourth of July. Even in better times, these are not extravagant trips, said Wernick.

When Adam Wishkovsky was laid off in January after 10 years as a sales-marketing executive with a materials-handling firm, he and his wife Cindee made a pledge: If and when things got better, then they would take a vacation to celebrate their 33rd wedding anniversary.

Five months and one new job later, they made good on that vow.

The Bala Cynwyd couple recently returned from five days in Puerto Rico. It was a far cry from the trip they'd originally hoped for -- visiting family in Wishkovsky's native Israel, but the first-timers to the Caribbean found the vacation quite satisfying.

Before Wishkovsky's layoff, it wasn't uncommon for the parents of two grown sons to travel to Alaska, Mexico, Italy or Canada.

"Finance always was an issue, but obviously, it was a bigger one right now, because there was not a lot of savings set aside for that," said Wishkovsky.

For him and many other Delaware Valley residents, the sour economy has exerted a push-pull force as they mull over possible itineraries.

"From one side, you see all of the deals going on and feel you should take advantage -- when else will travel be so cheap? But you may not be comfortable taking time off; you may be more concerned about giving your company a reason to think it can do without you," he said.

Melissa Klapper is one vacationer who took advantage of the lower airfare -- about $675 for a round-trip ticket between Philadelphia and Rome -- when she booked a stay in Italy this spring. She also made a conscience decision to make the trip in May, earlier in the year than usual, to qualify for off-season room rates.

Describing herself as "always an extremely budget-conscious traveler," the single professor said that she does extensive research before each trip, often opting to travel with a friend to ancient ruins, monuments and centers of art.

Staying in a kosher bed-and-breakfast in Rome and schlepping some of her own food from home, said Klapper, helped keep expenses more reasonable this time around.

If job-related woes are keeping area residents closer to home these days, one travel agency said that it's not feeling much of a pinch and has particularly continued to book trips to Israel.

"Recession? You can't tell by this office, that's for sure," said Susan Blum, manager of the Israel Department for Gil Travel, which has offices in Philadelphia; Miami; New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; and Boca Raton, Fla.

Blum, who has been arranging trips to the Jewish state for more than three decades, said that she and colleagues have experienced no measurable drop off in Israel-bound travel this year, and requests for next year are piling up steadily.

Travel to Israel, including a climb up Masada, is hot.

Although at least three Israel trips planned by synagogue groups for 2009 have been canceled, Blum noted, families are still booking Bar and Bat Mitzvah visits at $4,000 a person, and no individual trips that she knows of have been called off.

At El Al, the Israeli-based airline that carries many of those travelers, official Offer Gat sounded philosophical about the financial hit that his industry is taking.

"Nobody can escape the outcome of the current situation," said Gat, El Al's chief executive officer for North and Central America. "Although Israel is less affected than other international routes, we still feel the decline. Our prospective passengers, many of whom were flying again and again to Israel, have all been affected."

Gat said that business declined around 15 percent in 2009 over 2008 -- a figure he and his colleagues previously saw only during times of war.

Moreover, potential passengers are waiting longer to book trips, sometimes not making final arrangements until a month or two before departure, rather than the more traditional six months.

Gat said there have been no systematic layoffs at El Al. Rather, the airline has responded to the economic crisis by reducing fares in all compartments and offering family plans that give an average 25 percent reduction to children flying with their parents.

In addition, El Al has made it easier for passengers to upgrade from economy and business class to business and first class, and is building more flexibility into its frequent-flyer program, said Gat.

El Al will face competition from US Airways this summer, with the American carrier inaugurating flights between Philadelphia and Tel Aviv as of this week.