Retired Wall Street analyst Ron Glantz is a heavy traveler, and this year’s agenda was to include trips to Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan in May; as well as an excursion to Rwanda and Tanzania at the end of the summer. Now, it turns out, all those trips have been canceled or postponed and the only time Glantz plans to leave Manhattan is for a family reunion in Rhode Island, which, he notes, “is an easy trip (and) on 43 acres for easy distancing. Social “.
Glantz is not alone in any way. The month-long blockade that spanned most of the United States resulted in empty roads, sterile airports, and anchored cruise ships. As the country slowly reopens, traffic increases, but experts don’t see a return to normal travel and vacation plans any time soon.
That’s underscored by a new AAA report that predicts Americans will make just over 707 million trips this summer. That’s 15 percent less than a year ago, a number that might seem relatively modest considering the broader impact of the pandemic. But a closer look reveals much more significant changes in how we travel and where we can go.
Nearly 97 percent of those trips are expected to be made by car, and car trips are forecast to decrease a modest 3.3 percent year-over-year, the AAA said. By comparison, road trips accounted for 85.3 percent of last year’s summer trips.
Air travel is not yet in recovery mode, and Americans are expected to fly 73.9 percent fewer miles this summer. Other trips, including railroads and ships, will decrease by just over 85 percent compared to summer 2019, AAA anticipates.
“Don’t fly, just travel by car,” said Bret Jacobowitz of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. “There is no golf vacation. We will not be taking grandchildren to Disney World. Fortunately, we can play golf locally. ”
Even when people take the highway, the type of trip they take is likely to change, the AAA said. Instead of taking extended vacations, many Americans “will probably take weekend trips and three-day trips,” said Jeanette Casselano, an AAA spokeswoman.
The road and travel service also reported seeing a major change in the way Americans plan the trips they are taking. Many have canceled previously made plans, in part due to uncertainty about how the pandemic will unfold. Instead, AAA is finding a sizable proportion of travelers making decisions within a day or three of when they actually hit the road.
And, Casselano said, that is likely to be the case as they watch headlines revealing new COVID-19 outbreaks appearing across the country. Travel experts also warn that plans may have to change due to new restrictions being implemented in communities as diverse as Dallas, New York and the European Union. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut now require quarantines for travelers coming from places with new outbreaks. The EU has warned that it can completely ban Americans.
For those who still want to take longer trips, this could be the year of the RV, said Vinnie Richichi, host of a travel and car radio show in the New York region. “I have spoken to several people who say they are renting or considering renting an RV this year. It gives them much more control over the environment and their surroundings, ”while there is also the appeal of cheap gasoline prices.
A poll by Airstream, the maker of those iconic silver recreational vehicles, found that 60 percent of Americans said “feeling safe is critical to traveling again and 64 percent of people want to avoid crowds.” The study found that only 18 percent of consumers felt safe when flying or staying in hotels.
Despite the fact that recreational vehicles offer the ability to go almost anywhere at any time, Airstream also found that their owners plan to take shorter trips, from one to three days, while staying closer to home, usually indoors. 100 miles.
Shorter trips, as indicated by AAA and others, may reflect current economic realities as well as concerns about personal health and safety.
“We are definitely changing our travel plans,” said Sue Carter, a professor at Michigan State University. “The Education Abroad program is gone. Nor is it likely that I will travel to New York to see my daughter and her family. We stay away from where (people) congregate. We are masked to do it. “
