여성알바

Inflation is affecting travel, but that doesn't mean it's slowing down

Sarah Griffith's flight to Columbus, Ohio, last summer had a dual purpose: she wanted to see her friends and watch the band Night Ranger play.

Griffith, 50, loved the rock group growing up, and has traveled around the country to see it. "(I) started going to see them and it kind of turned things around and it just kind of became my thing," she said.

But in the wake of the pandemic, 여성알바 she said expensive flight costs and elevated fees for concert tickets have limited her ability to see the band, which makes up a large part of her travel plans each year. She pointed to inflation as a big contributor.

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In some cases, Griffith has chosen to attend shows within driving distance, or not go at all.

"It's frustrating," said Griffith, who lives in Manassas, Virginia, and works in the front office of a dental practice. "I mean, I work hard in order to be able to pay my bills, and I'm used to having money left over that I can afford to do stuff, and that money that’s left over now doesn't go as far."

© David Zalubowski Travelers queue up at the check-in kiosks for Frontier Airlines in Denver International Airport Friday, Dec. 30, 2022, in Denver.

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Experts say Griffith's experience is a good example of how travelers are adjusting their behaviors to account for inflation.

"Because prices are going up everywhere, people are also deliberately choosing their destination," Trivago CEO Axel Hefer told USA TODAY. "Some are choosing attractive but not as expensive destinations," like opting to stay in Pisa instead of Rome on a visit to Italy.

"These kinds of things at the margin are happening," he added.

What does inflation mean for travelers?

Prices in most segments of the economy are going up, and it's no different in the travel sector.

However, a recent study by Deloitte suggests that people aren't shying away from getting out there despite higher prices.

"We believe it’s still looking relatively positive. There’s certainly still some pressure that we’re seeing, inflation pressure or concerns," said Eileen Crowley, Deloitte's vice chair and U.S. transportation, hospitality and services attest leader. She added that people so far do not seem to be discouraged from taking trips, but the firm plans to continue tracking how higher prices affect demand throughout the year.

In the meantime, however, she said Deloitte's research suggests travelers are being more careful about what they're willing to splurge on.

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"From an airline perspective: what category of seats. Do I upgrade? Do I not upgrade?" she said. "From a lodging perspective, what type of class of lodging we’ll book ... I want lodging on the beach, but perhaps I go for a lower class of lodging that’s still on the beach rather than splurge on a place with more amenities."

For their part, on recent earnings calls, airline executives largely said that demand for tickets remains strong, and many pointed to the fact that they were reporting record profits despite flying less overall than they had in 2019 – a sure sign that ticket prices are up and the market could still bear even higher prices potentially.

Are travel deals still available this year?

According to Hefer from Trivago, prices are up pretty much everywhere, but not at the same rate in all places.

"You have to stay flexible. The more flexible you are in terms of date and destination and hotel property, the easier it is for you as a traveler to mitigate the effect," he said. "You still spend more, but you don’t spend as much more as you would have if you had booked the exact same trip.'

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As an example, Hefer noted that spring break prices in Cancun, Mexico, are up 10% on average compared to last year, while the same period in Miami is around 50% more expensive overall. So, he said, travelers who are willing to go to Cancun instead of Miami for spring break may be able to spend less than they would otherwise. 

Other advice for travelers

Hefer and Crowley both emphasized that flexibility is the key to economizing on travel during inflation.

"If travelers are thinking about ways to save money, the mode of transportation to get to your trip is something they could pivot on," Crowley said. For example, taking a family road trip instead of flying somewhere.

Traveling at non-peak times, too, can help your trip have less of an impact on your wallet.

"You can get the same experience for a fraction of the money if you are very flexible on destination, a bit flexible on accommodation experience, but, in particular, the timing," Hefer said. "My advice to your readers is stay as flexible as you can and then you can have an awesome experience and you won’t have to pay the high prices you see everywhere."

Griffith, for her part, has not seen any improvement in flight prices – at least not yet.

"I'm hoping," she said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Inflation is affecting travel, but that doesn't mean it's slowing down

일일알바

North Korea party meeting set to discuss 'urgent' food issue

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea has scheduled a major political conference to discuss the “urgent task” of improving its agricultural sector, a possible sign of worsening food insecurity as the country's economic isolation deepens amid a defiant nuclear weapons push.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said Monday that members of the ruling Workers’ Party’s Politburo met on Sunday and agreed to hold a larger plenary meeting of the party’s Central Committee 일일알바 in late February to review strategies on agriculture and set new goals. It said the Politburo members acknowledged a “a turning point is needed to dynamically promote the radical change in agricultural development.”

“It is a very important and urgent task to establish the correct strategy for the development of agriculture and take relevant measures for the immediate farming … to promote the overall development of socialist construction,” the KCNA said.

The Politburo meeting came amid indications that the country was preparing to stage a massive military parade in Pyongyang, possibly this week, to glorify the rule of leader Kim Jong Un and his growing collection of nuclear-capable weapons, which he has aggressively pushed to expand despite limited resources and economic decay.

Lee Sung-jun, spokesperson of South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the South Korean military has been detecting “increased activity related to (parade) rehearsals" in the North, but declined to share a specific assessment on when the event would take place.

Although not unprecedented, it’s uncommon for North Korea to hold two different party plenaries in a span of two months. It’s also rare for North Korea to call a plenary meeting over a single agenda, this time agriculture, South Korean Unification Ministry spokesperson Koo Byoungsam said in a briefing.

“The government will closely watch North Korea’s food situation and internal trends,” said Koo. He said South Korea estimates that North Korean food production fell by about 4% in 2022 to 4.5 million tons.

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Following the collapse of nuclear negotiations with the United States in 2019, Kim declared to strengthen his nuclear weapons and missile program against “gangster-like” U.S. sanctions and pressure and urged his nation to stay resilient in the struggle for economic self-reliance.

But the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic unleashed further shock on North Korea’s already broken economy, by forcing the nation to shield its poor healthcare system with strict border controls that choked off trade with China, its main ally and economic lifeline. The country was also hit with devastating typhoons and floods in 2020 that decimated crops.

In a study published on the North Korea-focused 38 North website last month, analyst Lucas Rengifo-Keller said food insecurity in North Korea is likely at its worst since the country's 1990s famine that killed hundreds of thousands of people.

It’s difficult to establish an accurate assessment of North Korea’s humanitarian needs considering the closed nature of its regime and the poor quality of the limited statistics it discloses. But North Korea’s grain balance estimates issued by U.N. agencies and outside governments as well as possibly sharp increases in rice and corn prices observed by NGOs and media indicate that “country’s food supply has probably failed to satisfy minimum human needs,” Rengifo-Keller wrote.

Russia’s war on Ukraine likely worsened the situation by driving up global prices of food, energy and fertilizer, on which North Korea’s agricultural production is heavily dependent.

“Put simply, North Korea teeters on the brink of famine,” Rengifo-Keller said.

The Workers’ Party’s Central Committee also held a plenary meeting in December, when Kim doubled down on his nuclear ambitions by calling an “exponential increase” of nuclear warheads, mass production of battlefield tactical nukes targeting rival South Korea and the development of more powerful long-range missiles designed to reach the U.S. mainland.

Party members also during the meeting identified key economic projects for 2023, highlighted by agricultural and construction activities.

여성알바

Report: Pacers' travel party members threatened by Ja Morant associates in Memphis

Members of the Indiana Pacers' travel party were "aggressively confronted" by acquaintances of Grizzlies star Ja Morant after the teams’ game in Memphis on Jan. 29, according to a report by The Athletic on Sunday.

Multiple members of the Pacers told NBA investigators they saw a red laser dot pointed at them, a person familiar with the details told the Indianapolis Star and USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the details of the investigation. 여성알바 A Pacers security guard believed the laser was attached to a gun, The Athletic reported.

A league spokesman confirmed to IndyStar and USA TODAY Sports that the league had performed an investigation. Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said the incident was also "addressed internally" by the team.

"We're aware of the investigation of the NBA," Jenkins told the Memphis Commercial Appeal before Sunday's game against the Toronto Raptors. "They did a full investigation, we were fully compliant with it and I think they came out with a statement saying nothing was corroborated or found. That's what I know and that's all I'm going to comment on."

Grizzlies guard Ja Morant (12) passes the ball over Indiana Pacers guard T.J. McConnell (9) during a Jan. 29 game in Memphis.

Damichael Cole, the Grizzlies beat writer for the Commercial Appeal, reported that Morant and the Pacers' Andrew Nembhard had a confrontation during the Jan. 29 game with the Pacers' James Johnson also getting involved. Davonte Pack, a friend of Morant's, was escorted off the floor.

The NBA investigation was unable to find evidence that anyone pointed a gun, league spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.

"While we substantiated that a postgame situation arose that was confrontational, based on interviews and other evidence gathered, we could not corroborate that any individual threatened others with a weapon," Bass said.

"Certain individuals involved in the postgame situation and a related matter during the game that night have been subsequently banned from attending games in the arena.  If additional information becomes available related to the postgame situation, the league office will conduct a further review.”

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Morant responded to news of the investigation on his Twitter account Sunday evening:

"did a investigation seen they were cappin . still let a article come out to paint this negative image on me & my fam . & banned my brother from home games for a year .  unbelievable"

He did not play in Sunday's game against the Raptors due to left wrist soreness.

The Pacers declined comment to IndyStar about the incident before Sunday's game against the Cavaliers.

“We felt we were in grave danger,” one person who was present said to The Athletic. The persons requested anonymity because they fear retribution, according to The Athletic.