Travel advisors say booking 2021 spring vacations has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride – but the good news is their clients are indeed traveling.

“Business has been amazing,” said Holly Lombardo of Holly Lombardo Travel Co., an affiliate of Travel Experts. “I’m still seeing bookings and then cancellations. However, I am also seeing loads of last-minute spring break and ‘I have the vaccine !’ departures for March/April.”

While the 2021 spring booking season cannot be compared to that of 2019, there is a bright spot: Many clients are willing to pay higher rates.

“Travelers are willing to pay more because they have not spent anything in the last year,” Lombardo said. “And I’ll add that there is a premium price being charged by hotels and resorts right now in warm destinations, especially in the U.S.”

Tom Karnes of LaMacchia Travel noted that year-to-date spring bookings from 2019 to 2021 are currently 13 percent behind 2019, but the agency is “quickly closing in on the difference.”

“March and April are going to be extremely strong with sun-and-fun travel inquiries, with a good portion of those traveling in April and May,” he said.

This year, Karnes said spring break travel has “been a moving target because so many students are still learning from home so we are seeing more people traveling at off-spring break times and taking advantage of great prices and less crowds.”

Agents also noted that travelers are booking closer to departure dates.

“Currently our average booking window has been three-and-a-half weeks,” Karnes said.

Lombardo said virtually all of her spring vacations are being booked just two to four weeks in advance. “I’m making reservations for travel literally next week.”

Most of Jemica Archer of TruBlue Travels' clients are booking approximately 90 days in advance. “The main concern is to make sure clients can receive a test in a destination to be able to re-enter the U.S.,” she said. “I’m encouraging clients to test before they go so they know they are negative, and I am doing my best to work with properties with on-site testing and relaxed rates for any possible quarantines if they do test positive in a destination.”

For Sarah Klein of Time for Travel, spring 2021 bookings are a mixed bag. “We had a few groups that booked last year, assuming all would be fine for spring 2021 that have now rescheduled to fall 2021,” she said. “On the other hand, we had 70 people leave this week for Cabo , so some are ready to go. We are also seeing a lot of last-minute bookings for March through May, as people are just desperate to get away and are now vaccinated. I feel like many people are waiting to be fully vaccinated and then they will be ready to book.”

Klein’s spring bookings, however, are gaining momentum. “As of a few weeks ago, my only spring 2021 bookings were wedding groups, but in the last two weeks we’ve seen a surge in individual travelers wanting to get away for spring 2021.”

Klein said she’s receiving a lot of inquiries about Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands , “but when they see the prices and lack of options, they move onto Mexico and Jamaica .”

Lombardo’s clients are primarily booking destinations with mild climates. “This includes beaches in south Florida, the Caribbean and Mexico, and destinations in the southeast or Arizona,” she said, adding that she has also booked a number of U.S. Rockies’ ski vacations.

Beyond spring and into next year, travel advisors say business is picking up substantially. “Right now I am booking like crazy for 2022, so I have a very positive outlook,” Klein said.

“My clients are coming to me not only to book one vacation, but three,” for 2022, Lombardo said.

“We expect to see more requests start flowing in for international destinations and cruises, with departures towards the end of the year and 2022,” said Karnes.

The booking picture is brightening for the latter part of this year as well. “The good news is that the bookings that I have so far for summer and winter of 2021 are exceeding 2019,” Archer said. “It looks like people are ready to get back out there.”