A Snapshot: How Summer Travel is Changing
Written by The Clearcover Team | 3 minute read
Amid all the confusion of the COVID-19 outbreak and the subsequent lockdowns around the country, there’s been one clear result: Americans stopped traveling. Major travel companies offered waivers to customers spooked by fears of infection. Commercial flights regularly took off with only a handful of passengers. And—perhaps most visibly—Americans drove up to 94% less during the height of the lockdowns. In late March, many of us stepped outside of our houses or apartment complexes to see the sight of deserted roads and city streets—an image we won’t soon forget.
But now things have changed, and, though the pandemic is still with us, the lockdowns in many places have ended—just in time for summer vacation.
So how are American families taking vacations in the shadow of COVID-19? And how are American driving habits changing during this very strange time?
We decided to ask Americans across the country* how they’d adjusted their vacation plans, how they were using their cars, and how they expected to travel in the uncertain months ahead.
Here’s what we discovered.
Americans didn’t stop driving during the lockdown—they just drove for different reasons.
Americans have always loved the liberty associated with their personal automobile, and our survey results show that stay-at-home orders only increased our attachment to our cars. Nearly half of our survey respondents stated that, during the lockdowns, they’d found themselves driving “just to take a drive.” And 66% of survey-takers said that their car provided them with a sense of freedom during quarantine.
For many Americans, it seems, the car was the best (and maybe only) way to escape quarantine lockdowns.
Post-lockdown, the great American road trip is back on.
COVID-19 uncertainty has made road-trips the vacation of choice for many Americans. 30% said that they’re now more likely to take a long road trip this year, while 40% said they’re considering shorter weekend road trips.
Meanwhile, despite the return of some airlines to full capacity flights, our survey-takers stated that they’re still leery of flying. While 91% of vacationing respondents had intended to fly to a vacation destination in 2020, 9 out of 10 of those respondents had already canceled their flight. And 42% stated that they don’t expect to fly until at least 2021.
(Road-tripping this summer? Make sure you understand how car insurance works when you travel.)
We’re heading to the mountains (and the lakes, oceans, and desert).
COVID-19 has significantly affected where Americans are traveling, too. Only 13% of our respondents planned to visit a theme park this summer, and less than a quarter expected to visit a major American city.
Instead, well over half of our respondents (63%) stated that they’re currently planning road trips to rural and low population areas. 53% said that they’re more likely to visit a state park this year specifically because of COVID-19, and 40% had already planned such a trip. National parks are on the itinerary, too. 54% of survey-takers said that they’re more likely to visit a national park because of COVID-19.
Another popular option for vacation 2020: the family get-together. 61% of survey-takers said that they’re planning a road trip to see friends and relatives this summer.
Americans are about to drive more, not less.
Perhaps the most illuminating takeaway of the survey is that the personal vehicle is about to become even more important in American daily life.
Our survey found that people are steering clear of rideshare services (61% of survey-takers say that they’re less likely to use a rideshare vehicle this year) and public transportation (a whopping 72% said that they’re avoiding it).
Instead, people are turning to their own vehicles—and some Americans are even thinking of investing in new vehicles and accessories to make all the extra driving easier. 16% of respondents, for example, said that they’re considering the purchase of a larger vehicle for family vacations, and 12% are thinking about buying more vehicle accessories for newly-planned road trips. (And—get this—a full 1 in 10 respondents are considering buying an RV.)
All in all, 49% of respondents said that they expect to drive the same amount of time or more during the second half of 2020 than they did during the same period last year—a surprising trend, and one that we’ll continue to monitor.
Whether you’re driving more or less this summer, know that Clearcover is here to support you. So if you’re struggling—or if you have any questions about your car insurance during this time—please reach out to us. We also know that many Americans are making budget decisions right now, which is why we’ve put together this useful (quick!) guide on how to cut car insurance costs during this time.
And if you’re not a Clearcover customer, it may be worth 7 minutes of your time to get a quote.
>> Visit here to see if we can provide you better coverage for less money.
*We polled +800 U.S. residents on their summer travel plans. The survey was conducted at 95% confidence, +/- 4% margin of error.
