Just over one-quarter of Americans have taken a vacation since COVID-19. This was revealed by the recent research from IPX 1031, a subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial. The survey, titled ‘How Americans Plan to Vacation During COVID-19’ also found that one-fifth of Americans are planning on taking a vacation, while 37% put travel plans on hold and 15% have ‘staycationed’ or are planning to do so.
According to respondents, 40% outright cancelled a vacation and 23% postponed their vacation. As for those who have vacationed since COVID-19 (designated in March), most said they travelled in March (28%). After dropping to 15% in April, it climbed in May and June to 18 and 22%, respectively, before falling again in July (16%).
Interestingly, 62% said they regret taking their vacation. One-fifth said they weren’t fully able to relax and 27% said that COVID-19 caused them to stress on their vacation. While 55% noted their vacation was longer due to COVID (with the average trip being 4.5 days), 62% said they spent less on their vacations. One-third purchased travel insurance.
Nearly two-thirds (64%) of those surveyed said they do not feel safe flying on a commercial airplane due to COVID-19. As for when Americans will feel comfortable flying, the plurality (33%) said ‘when there is a vaccine’. More than one-quarter (27%) said they were not sure but following were spring 2021 (14%) and summer 2021 (13%).
The report notes that instead of booking flights (31%) to travel abroad, travellers opted for road trips (52%) and extended stays at vacation homes and short-term rentals within the US. The top destinations were California, Florida, New York, Texas and Nevada.
