2021 Holiday Travel Forecast: Are Americans Ready to Travel Again?
Written by Team Clearcover | November 12th, 2021
In 2020, we saw big shifts in holiday travel trends due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many people cancelled plans to stay home. So after an unusual winter in 2020, Americans are ready to get into the holiday spirit more than ever.
But because of continued concern around COVID variants as well as the safety and reliability of travel, this year’s travel plans will continue to look different than in pre-COVID years.
Clearcover surveyed over 600 people who live and work in the U.S. for insight on 2021 holiday travel predictions*, and we found that more Americans are ready to travel this season than last winter.
Ready to take a closer look into holiday travel statistics for 2021? Let’s dive in.
2021 Holiday travel forecast: People are ready to travel for the holidays again
During the 2020 holiday season, 6 in 10 adults planned to stay home. And the majority of those we surveyed (73%) say at least some of their holiday travel plans were canceled in 2020.
But now that COVID-19 vaccines are widely available, people are more ready and willing to travel in the 2021 holiday season. Americans all over the country are looking forward to seeing friends and family and enjoying time away from home for the holidays again. In fact, those we surveyed were far more likely (362% more likely, in fact) to have holiday travel plans this year than they were in 2020.
Of those surveyed, 75% agree that the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and boosters makes them more likely to travel for the holidays this year than they were last year.
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However, even with the increased confidence in traveling, 64% of Americans say they’ve thought about canceling some or all of their holiday travel plans this year. (And it’s no surprise that those with children were 35% more likely to have considered cancelling holiday travel plans than those who don’t have kids.)
For many celebrators, the willingness and ability to travel for a special winter holiday is a decision that might need to be made closer to the date of travel—a decision that will be made based on health status and COVID-19 numbers.
For many, traveling for the 2021 holiday season is still dependent on COVID-19
While people are ready to get out of town for the holidays, they’re still doing so cautiously.
Three-fourths (75%) of those who responded plan on traveling for Christmas, 45% plan on traveling for Thanksgiving, and 39% of people plan to ring in the new year away from home.
Even with holiday travel on the calendar, 63% of those surveyed agree that their holiday plans are contingent on COVID-19 numbers. And for people traveling with children? Parents were 40% more likely to say their holiday plans depend on COVID-19 stats.
For those who say their plans depend on COVID numbers, they’ll be looking to government agencies, such as the CDC and the NIH (59%), or their doctors (44%) for guidance on if it’s okay for them to travel. (Interestingly, the women surveyed were 20% more likely than men to say that they will trust the advice of the CDC and NIH.)
And 69% of those whose plans depend on COVID numbers say they’ll be looking to friends and family to help them decide the right course of action for their final holiday travel plans.
But just in case, the majority of Americans surveyed (71%) say they’ve considered backup plans in case their trip gets canceled. And most are worried that their plans will be affected by airline vaccine mandates (73%) and/or airline strikes (75%).
Holiday travel statistics and COVID-19 vaccination status
While there has been some contention about vaccines in the news, 81% of those we surveyed said they would only be visiting friends and family who are vaccinated this holiday season. That’s a pretty significant number.
And 53% of respondents are taking it a step further by only spending the holidays with friends and family who’ve had boosters. Not surprisingly, again, those with children are making plans with extra caution. Survey respondents with kids were 88% more likely to say they won’t be visiting friends and family who haven’t gotten booster shots.
So even with the high hopes to enjoy Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s Eve with family and friends this year, some will continue to play it by ear—and play it safe.
Holiday travel methods: Family road trip or air travel?
While some will need to make the call for travel closer to the date of their trip, the 2021 holiday travel forecast is clear about one thing: Americans overwhelmingly plan to drive by car or RV instead of using air travel this year.
Let’s dive into the details.
2021 air travel statistics and holiday travel predictions
Americans have concerns about delayed and cancelled flights this holiday season, but about 1 out of 4 of those who are traveling for Thanksgiving (22%) and Christmas (25%) are still planning to get there by airline.
Americans were 57% more likely to say they were flying for Thanksgiving this year than they were last year. That’s a big shift, and it shows people are feeling more confident about holiday travel in 2021. We also found they were also 25% more likely this year to say they are flying for Christmas than they were in 2020.
And those who are flying are ready to go: 79% of those who plan on traveling by air this year have already purchased their tickets.
But even those traveling by air are planning for last-minute pivots. The majority of those who are traveling by airplane over the holidays said that they purchased travel insurance (64%).
And 8 in 10 who are planning to travel by air said that they would only buy airline tickets with flexible cancellation and/or refund policies this holiday season due to concerns about COVID.
Here are the quick facts for 2021 holiday air travel statistics:
22% of those traveling for Thanksgiving say that they will be flying.
25% of Christmas travelers will be reaching their destinations by airplane.
24% of people traveling for Hanukkah celebrations will fly.
13% of those traveling for Kwanzaa will do so by plane.
29% of people who plan on traveling for New Years will fly.
76% of those traveling by plane said that recent news about flight cancellations factored into their decision about which airline to fly with.
17% of those who are opting to drive instead cited concerns about flight cancellations as one of the reasons why.
Overall, those who plan to fly in the 2021 holiday season are in the minority—most people are choosing to drive.
So let’s talk about road trips.
Most planned 2021 COVID-19 holiday travel will take place by car
While some holiday travelers plan on flying, the overwhelming majority of Americans planning on holiday travel this year will get there by car.
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And of those who are driving to their holiday travel destination, 57% cited concerns about COVID-19 as the reason why they will drive instead of fly.
72% of those traveling for Thanksgiving say that they’ll be driving.
65% of Christmas revelers will be reaching their destinations by car.
42% of people traveling for Hanukkah celebrations will drive.
50% of those traveling for Kwanzaa will do so by car.
61% of people who plan on traveling for New Years will drive.
But even for those who are traveling this year—whether by car or by plane—the availability of rental cars is something travelers are worried about. For those who plan on renting a car for some or all of their holiday travel plans, 91% of them are concerned about availability.
And those who are traveling by car, 78% plan to limit the number of stops they make along the way due to concerns about COVID-19.
Even with more control over travel plans, 64% of drivers are worried that—even by road-tripping it—their travel plans might be affected by changing state and/or international restrictions.
Make sure you’re ready for the road ahead with Clearcover
If you plan on traveling by car for the 2021 holiday season, make sure you’ve got the right coverage in place for your journey.
No matter how or where you celebrate the holidays, know that Clearcover is here to help you travel confidently with clear car insurance coverage at an affordable price.
With our award-winning app, you’ll have your proof of your auto insurance with you wherever and however you travel.
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*We polled 606 respondents who live and work in the U.S. and intend to buy gifts for others this holiday season. The survey was conducted at 95% confidence, +/- 4% margin of error.
