As you read this, I’m in New York City. My brother and I are showing our families around the Big Apple, taking in museums, restaurants, a Broadway show, and more as part of a summer vacation.

It’s not my first time here. I’ve been several times for both work and pleasure.

But my 11-year-old and 14-year-old daughters haven’t, and seeing the looks on their faces as they get to experience the city for the first time is priceless.

One thing that is definitely NOT priceless? The cost of flights, hotels, shows, and more. I can tell from the price of everything that the travel business is humming right along … and the data confirms it.

A few interesting nuggets: The New York Times recently reported that summer bookings are up 19% at American Express Travel, and 10% at the network Virtuoso.

AAA said Memorial Day was the busiest such holiday for American travel since 2005.

Meanwhile, the trade group Airlines for America expects 234.1 million passengers to fly U.S. airlines between June 1 and August 31. That’s up 4% from a year ago, and an all-time record.

Royal Caribbean Cruises (RCL, Rated “B”) was showing year-to-date returns of 29.3% then. It was up 34.4% as of late last week. Wyndham Worldwide Corp. (WYN, Rated “B-”) was up 26.8% then. It’s up 36.5% now. Vail Resorts (MTN, Rated “B”) was up 24.6% then. It’s up 31% now. Marriott International (MAR, Rated “B”)? 17.8% then, 27.1% now. You get the picture.

Bottom line: You and I may hate the frustration of flying on full airplanes. We may not like paying more to book a cruise, or in my case, paying through the nose for a Manhattan hotel room!

But it’s great news for travel and leisure stocks, and savvy investors like you can profit from them.