First 2021 Travel for Many Will Be to Family, Friends

According to the most recent Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, about 50% are planning to visit family and friends on their first trip this year, with the vast majority planning to travel by car. About a third of American travelers expect their first trip of the year to be a leisure/vacation trip.

“The desire for travel to be with friends and family remains strong during the pandemic,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “No doubt this is being fueled by the pandemic’s negative impact on friends and families gathering since the arrival of COVID-19 last spring and particularly during the holidays.”

Regarding the timing of 2021 trips, about 40% of American travelers do not plan to hit the road before there is vaccine distribution. Please note that almost half of travelers currently feel safe traveling outside their home communities.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded January 6, 2021 using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over.  Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population.