With 2020 in the rearview mirror, Americans are feeling hopeful about travel and taking much-needed vacations in 2021, according to IPX 1031, a full-service qualified intermediary said in a recent report titled “How Will Americans Travel in 2021?”
According to the study, 48 percent of Americans are optimistic about traveling in 2021, with another quarter (25 percent) saying they are “somewhat” optimistic. Roughly another quarter (27 percent) said they were not optimistic about travel this year. Along similar lines, 45 percent of respondents believe travel will “return to normal without restrictions;” one-quarter (23 percent) said no, and one-third (32 percent) were unsure.
Interestingly, more than half of respondents (58 percent) plan to travel in 2021. Further, 42 percent said they have already booked a trip. Among all respondents, 20 percent still are not sure when they will vacation again, while 33 percent said they plan to pack their bags and vacation by this summer. With that said, six in 10 (62 percent) said they will only travel to areas with a low number of COVID-19 cases and seven in 10 (73 percent) are concerned they will have to cancel their trip due to a spike in cases.
Eleven percent said they don’t plan to travel. Some top reasons for not traveling this year include: Not feeling safe due to the pandemic (80 percent); not having the budget (44 percent); dining/entertainment restrictions (22 percent); travel/flying restrictions (18 percent); and the inability to take time off from work (9 percent).
Regarding budgets, 36 percent of respondents said they would spend the next stimulus on a vacation. IPX 1031 adds that the average budget, according to its survey, is about $2,470.
It’s a mixed bag regarding length of trips. Nearly half (43 percent) said their trips in 2021 would be about the same as previous years; 29 percent said “longer” and 28 percent replied “shorter.”
Hotels are still on top when it comes to where vacationers are staying overnight (28 percent). The second most common response was “with family” (21 percent). Short-term rentals, such as Airbnb and VRBO (17 percent) and vacation home/timeshare (10 percent) followed. Seven percent preferred camping.
Back to safety, it’s not surprising that exactly 48 percent said they feel safe flying in 2021 (matching the percentage of Americans who are optimistic about travel this year); however, 80 percent said they would feel safe boarding a plane in 2022. Seventy-two percent said they will feel safer after being vaccinated. Along those line, more than half (54 percent) said they feel it’s not safe to travel until they’re vaccinated.
IPX 1031 surveyed 2,020 Americans between the ages of 18 and 79 from January 13 – 20, 2021.
Source: IPX 1031
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