I had an interesting conversation with a AAA travel agent last week regarding what she’s observing as the overseas summer travel season approaches. She noted that several cruise lines have been offering deep discounts and special limited-time sales on summer itineraries, particularly in Europe (not so much in the Caribbean and Alaska). I wondered whether, especially as regards Mediterranean cruises, this was due to travelers’ concerns about the political unrest in North Africa and some Middle East countries. Unable to fill ships on cruises near those areas, the cruise lines were perhaps offering additional enticements. She said that perhaps in limited cases this might be so, but that another factor was definitely in play. Many anxious first-time foreign travelers are attracted by the all-inclusive nature of cruises, and this same demographic would find the discounted fares now on offer especially attractive. What’s holding them back from booking a sailing, however, are the airline fares they are encountering this year. In other words, budget-conscious cruisers love the price of the ship but not what they’d have to pay to get to the ship from the U.S. In fact, my AAA friend indicated that some of the better airfares out there right now are those which cruisers may book through the cruise lines, as often the companies reserved blocks of tickets for their prospective guests months ago at lower rates than are now generally available. Within a few days of that conversation, I spoke with a couple of friends who had been contemplating European trips this summer (one on a cruise, the other independent land travel).  Each mentioned that the higher cost of flying this year (due, certainly in part, to the unrest in some oil-producing nations and the resultant increase in fuel costs) was holding her back from actually booking her trip, at least for now. What about you? Have you found yourself hesitating on booking vacation travel in the coming months due to higher fares, or will you proceed with long-held plans for a getaway? — Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor