With the recent lifting of the US Department of State’s “Do Not Travel” warning, travelers on the ground are eager to hit the road or in friendly skies. But future travelers have a lot to consider before leaving home.
Large metropolitan areas such as New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Atlanta are still among the top destinations, but each of these cities has lost popularity. While Las Vegas and Denver still represent the best options, data shows that more travelers are on vacation in Orlando and Phoenix compared to last year, despite large outbreaks of COVID-19 in Florida and Arizona.
This year’s data reveals a flavor for beachy locations, with Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean and Hawaii representing the largest increases in the range year over year. “
While many travel companies are working to stay afloat and promote travel right now, Trafalgar, a guided vacation company, stands up for what it really means to be a responsible traveler, and that is disrupting all travel.
The way we act now, he continues, will affect how and when we can travel safely and freely again. The longer this fractured mindset continues, the harder it will be for the travel industry, which employs roughly one in ten people, to recover. DaSilva says that we must think and work collectively not to contribute to new waves and peaks, and that, for the moment, means being close to home and following all the guidelines of physical distancing.
Right now our global priority is to stop the spread of the virus, and that means avoiding especially hot spot conditions with or without masks. The correlation is clear: when we do not follow social guidelines, the number increases. “Dasavilva says.
We have made progress towards controlling the virus in some parts of the world, but we are not out of the woods yet. While restrictions have been loosened in some parts of the country, especially when we arrive in a cold autumn, it proves to be good for the weather and getting back to school. “
In April, survey software provider Qualtrics conducted a study that found that 75% of Americans did not feel comfortable flying on an airplane at the time. But some Americans have been enthusiastic about the idea since then. Qualtrics asked the same question in July and found that the number had dropped to 62%. Within that timeframe, airlines, hotels, and shared housing providers began implementing new policies to protect the health of travelers.
That same study asked travelers what they need to feel comfortable boarding a plane, and the top three responses were required masks, seats six feet apart, and temperature controls prior to boarding.
Some people are comfortable flying while others stick to road trips to get from point A to B.” Soderlund says.
Trafalgar’s DaSilva suggests thinking about those bucket-list vacations now so they can become a reality in 2021, and investing travel dollars into businesses that support local communities that depend so heavily on tourism.
“While staying grounded is unusual for us and the desire to explore is intrinsically ingrained in all of us, the best science suggests that we stay alert and use this time to plan our future trips,” says DaSilva. “When we start traveling again, it will be imperative that we choose to rebuild the cultures and structures that have been so decimated in this time without tourism, so do your research and choose wisely.”
