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Top destinations for Southern Californians this summer
California Central Coast destinations like Santa Barbara and Monterrey are popular destinations for Southern Californians.
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Santa Barbara
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San Diego remains a popular location for Southern Californians.
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drbertdelgado/Flickr (Creative Commons)
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Top destinations for Southern Californians this summer
Top destinations for Southern Californians this summer
The economy hasn't fully recovered, so expensive leisure trips aren’t within everyone’s reach this summer.
But Marie Montgomery with the Automobile Club of Southern California says some people still choose to travel.
According to Montgomery, Las Vegas is less popular due to cost. San Diego continues to be a top destination for Southern California residents. The Grand Canyon, being the closest national park, is popular. The central coast from Santa Barbara to Monterrey is also popular.
There has been an uptick in travel, with the Automobile Club's business seeing a 3 percent uptick so far this year. Cruises continue to be popular as well. Low end cruises are less successful in this economy, but there's been an increase in spending on more expensive cruises.
"The people who have money," said Montgomery, "and they were being tight-fisted last year because they didn't know what was going on, this year, they want to take that trip and they're a little bit more willing to spend more money."
Airlines are also making more money from baggage fees, cutting meals, and other methods aside from the price of the actual ticket.
(Audio: Montgomery described to KPCC’s Steve Julian some of the top destinations for Southern Californians this summer.)
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