Brockton-Cape Verdean model doesn't let soaring flight prices keep her down

Alisha Saint-Ciel, The Enterprise
·3 min read

BROCKTON –The travel blues and inflation are rocking the nation, and Brockton is feeling a blow as airline ticket prices increase – but one resident isn't letting that stop her travel escapades.

Traveling freelance model Melissa Moreno frequently flies to Cape Verde with her family, despite the price increase.

Moreno spends time having adventures in Tarrafal, the northern part of the island of Santiago, swimming in the warm ocean and overlooking the mountains near the sea.

In Cape Verde, the family owns a restaurant and event space Tok De Arte, so flying is necessary to ensure the business is running properly.

As a freelance model, Moreno travels to gigs to expand her portfolios and hopes to one day rely solely on modeling as a source of income.

Melissa Moreno, a freelance model from Brockton, visits Tarrafal, Cape Verde, in March 2022.
Melissa Moreno, a freelance model from Brockton, visits Tarrafal, Cape Verde, in March 2022.

When Moreno travels with her family, they spend a month truly soaking in the sun and sipping coconut water by a raging waterfall.

"Spending two weeks there is never enough. Every day, there's something new to do and beautiful things to see," Moreno said.

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The model feels the travel blues many people are experiencing with price increases but suggests people book their flights months in advance.

"The average price for a ticket is around $1,000, so I find it convenient to plan ahead and guarantee the best deal," Moreno said.

This month, tickets to Cape Verde range from $1,200 to $3,000 online.

Melissa Moreno, a freelance model from Brockton, visits Tarrafal, Cape Verde, in March 2022.
Melissa Moreno, a freelance model from Brockton, visits Tarrafal, Cape Verde, in March 2022.

Inflation hit a 40-year high in the month of May as travel, gas, food and rent prices increase across the board.

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Manuela Santos, the owner of MS Travel & Services, a travel agency in Brockton, said she has never seen flight prices this high before.

Santos has been working in the travel industry for more than 26 years and started at 18 years old working in Cape Verde.

Santos came to America and started her own business in the travel industry in 1996.

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"I notice people lately don't care to spend $2,000 on a plane ticket. They just want to go, but there aren't seats to buy," Santos said.

"I think people travel so much now because we were shut down for two years. So some people were able to save a lot of money by not going out as much. COVID changed everything," Santos said.

Flights to Haiti were also impacted. Santos said a flight that usually costs anywhere from $300 to $600 is now $1,500 with little seat availability.

Melissa Moreno, a freelance model from Brockton, took this photo in Tarrafal, Cape Verde, in March 2022.
Melissa Moreno, a freelance model from Brockton, took this photo in Tarrafal, Cape Verde, in March 2022.

The travel agent recommends finding an agent to book your next trip or playing around with the dates online.

Sometimes the price will go down, depending on the day but not by much, she said.

"People traveling to Cape Verde now with an $800 ticket bought that ticket last year. So booking in advance helps save a lot of money," Santos said.

Enterprise staff reporter Alisha Saint-Ciel can be reached by email at stciela@gannett.com. You can follow her on Twitter at @alishaspeakss and Instagram at Alishaatv. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton travel: Cape Verdean model doesn't let ticket prices stop her