The holiday season is the busiest time of year for long-distance travel, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. But as expected, holiday travel in 2020 has been significantly impacted by the pandemic.
While many people traveled this Thanksgiving, more opted to stay home compared to the previous year. Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation and a new survey from Clearcover, a car insurance company, lend some insight into what we can expect for holiday travel as we enter the final days of the year.
If you’re planning a trip, flexibility is key. Given the fluid nature of COVID-19 outbreaks, you may decide to alter plans as your trip gets closer.
More People Stayed Home For Thanksgiving, But Trips Got Longer
Not surprisingly, the number of people who decided to stay home this Thanksgiving increased from the year before. About 29% of Americans decided to stay home during Thanksgiving week 2020 compared to 20.5% during the same period in 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
For Americans who did take a trip (by any mode of transportation)during the six-day Thanksgiving travel period, there was an increase in long-distance trips, defined as a trip of 50 miles or more by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The number of trips between 50 and 500 miles during Thanksgiving week increased by about 145.5 million compared to 2019.
But really long road trips of 500 miles or more saw a decrease of 3.5 million compared to last year.
Americans are 58% less likely to say they’re planning to travel over Christmas and New Year’s than they were a few weeks ago, according to a new survey from Clearcover. Almost half of the survey respondents indicated they canceled their holiday travel plans due to increased COVID-19 cases.
Still, some holiday travelers are taking a wait-and-see approach before making a final decision. Twenty-two percent of Clearcover’s survey respondents said they may alter their travel plans if COVID-19 infections continue to spike.
Holiday Travelers Usually Go by Car
For those planning to travel over the remainder of the holiday season, a road trip is more likely than flying.
Prior to this year, about 91% of long-distance holiday travel was by personal vehicle, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Between 5% to 6% of holiday travelers travel by air, and 2% to 3% take other modes of transportation, such as bus, train, ship or other mode.
That trend is likely to continue in 2020. While the Transportation Security Administration screened more travelers on the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2020 since the onset of the pandemic in March, the number of people screened was still down 61% from 2019.
Travel Insurance Can Help You Stay Flexible
While road trippers who plan short getaways typically won’t need travel insurance, you might want to consider travel insurance if your trip involves large deposits or prepaid activities.
For example, if you’re flying across the country and you’ve booked expensive, nonrefundable excursions, a travel insurance policy can help you recoup money lost due to trip cancellation, delays and interruptions. (As long as the reasons are covered by the policy.)
Because COVID-19 is an obvious concern, you might focus on travel insurance plans that cover trip cancellation and medical expenses due to the coronavirus. (Many plans don’t offer this coverage.)
See Forbes Advisor’s ratings of the best pandemic travel insurance plans
This year has proven to be a bummer for travelers, but you could spend your holidays researching a big 2021 vacation.
If you’re planning an expensive trip abroad in 2021, consider travel insurance with cancel for any reason coverage. If you cancel the trip, no matter why, you can get a partial refund (usually 50% or 75%) of your prepaid and nonrefundable expenses. But there is a catch: You typically have to add this coverage to your policy within 10 to 20 days of your initial trip payment. So be sure to plan for your insurance along with your well-deserved trip.
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
