Travel experts suggest taking advantage of National Plan for Vacation Day

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Nearly two years into the pandemic, this could be the perfect time to pack up and take off.

According to AAA, 81% of Americans are excited to plan a vacation in the next six months.

"I'm getting my masters and I'm almost done with that so definitely after school and being in healthcare for so long, I'm definitely ready to get a nice vacation," said Jaida Washington, of Raleigh.

And experts say now is a good time to start planning.

"There are a lot of things working in favor for travelers. There are flexible cancelation policies so I always say go ahead, get something on the books," Sarah Dandashy, travel expert.

But of course, travel had changed a bit since the pandemic.

AAA says when you travel now you'll want to

• Purchase travel insurance
• Pack health and safety items like extra masks, hand sanitizer and disposable gloves
• Have photos of your vaccinate card saved in your phone
• Understand your destination's Covid restrictions and requirements

And finally...

"Go maybe a little bit off the beaten path especially right now because you want to take advantage of having a little bit more space," Dandashy said.

And for travelers like Washington-even with the pandemic still looming-it's just nice to have something to look forward to.

"It definitely does give me excitement to think about the outfits, the food we want to eat and stuff like that. So it definitely setting up, planning it is definitely exciting to do," Washington said.

Another tip from travel experts is to book direct this time. Hotels and airlines are going to have the lowest prices and if you do have to cancel you can go directly to them instead of a third-party site.