USA: Travel Bookings Rise 3%

AAA's overall travel bookings increased by more than 3 percent this October over the same period last year, according to the monthly AAA National Travel Barometer. The largest increase was in car rental reservations, which jumped 18 percent over October 2002 levels. That is the largest increase in car rentals since February.

Cruise and tour bookings rose for the fifth consecutive month with increases of 6 percent and 4 percent, respectively. The increase in car rentals goes hand-in-hand with more Americans opting to take driving vacations, and shows that consumers are continuing to take advantage of the discounts offered by many cruise and tour companies, according to AAA.