Have you noticed a big difference this year? Many allergy sufferers who’ve lived in the Tampa area for decades have been saying this year has been the worst in a long long time. That thick coat of pollen has taken up residency on your car early this season. But why?

No it doesn’t have anything to do with that blob of smelly seaweed heading towards Florida. Some have thrown that theory out on the Tampa reddit. I also saw someone claim it’s got something to do with red tide. Nah.

ABC Action News reports it has a lot to do with that early burst of summer-like weather we’ve had. (Well, not this past weekend.) Trees are in full bloom and the sneezes around our office have been echoing through the hallways. One listener told me that since the cold weather didn’t last long, plants haven’t gone into that “dormant” stage they usually do. That combination is what’s behind the sneeze.

Allergy season can actually start as early as December. But it’s usually not this bad this soon. You can expect more of the sniffles and watery eyes for the next 6 to 8 weeks.

The big tips? Keep your windows closed, even if that breeze feels nice. And rinse your face or take a shower as soon as you get home if you’ve spent a lot of time outside. Or … do some traveling! [Source: ABC Action News]

5 Cheap Airfare Deals from Tampa for Under $200 Round Trip

• Atlanta for $38

  $38 roundtrip!? That’s cheaper than driving. The nonstop flight I found on Frontier leaves at 8am out of TPA and leaves Atlanta at 5:39pm. Catch opening day for the Atlanta Braves.

• Boston for $179

  Anytime you can get an airfare under $200 to Boston, it’s a good deal. For $179 roundtrip, look for the Spirit early morning flight at 5:30am. I know I know. Super early. But that’ll give you an full day in Boston as it arrives at 8:35AM. Your return flight time will be far less painful. Take the 7:30am flight on United leaving at 7:30am. You’ll have a long layover, but it’s a fun one… take the train from Newark into New York City and get a great slice of pizza and stroll around Central Park. You’ll get back to Tampa at 6:08pm.

• Chicago for $138

  Visiting Chicago in April isn’t the most touristy thing to do. It can still get pretty cold. But a deep dish pizza will warm you up. For just $138 roundtrip, grab the Frontier 8:10am flight out of Tampa. It connects in Atlanta. If you want to skip the layover, for $30 more take the American Airlines 6:06AM flight. You’ll have an early flight on the way back though at 6AM, but you’ll be back in Tampa by 9:30AM.

• Las Vegas for $140

  For $140 roundtrip, you’ll have plenty of money to dump into the slot machines. Take the late night 10:47PM nonstop Frontier flight from Tampa to Sin City. When you get to Vegas at 1am, crash at the hotel… or get the party started. The 7am flight back has a stop in Atlanta for 4 hours, which stinks. But for $10 more you can get a late night nonstop flight if you’re a good sleeper on airplanes.

• San Francisco $202

  2 trips in one! Jump on the 8:50AM Spirit flight out of TPA. Stop in Las Vegas for 10 hours and then finish your trip with Frontier landing in California at 10:50PM. On the way back you get to do it again. Take the 12:45PM Frontier flight, have fun for 13 hours in Vegas. Then jump on the Spirit red eye to Tampa. All this for $202! I know that’s $2 over the budget, but you can win that back at the tables.

It’s not a popular travel season, but if you can take some vacation days, this is a great time of year to score a flight deal. Kids are still in school so leisure travel drops off and the airlines want to fill those empty seats so they know they have to cut prices. Here are 5 cities I love to visit that you can fly round trip right now for $200 or less.

All of these flights I found by searching the dates April 5 through April 12. Midweek flights are often where you’ll find the bargains. Keep in mind too many of these airlines nickel and dime you by charging for things like a carry on bag, picking your seat or having a snack on the plane.

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