According to a recent AAA Travel survey*, American travelers are making vacation plans through the end of the year, but remain cautiously optimistic about those future plans.
Sixty-seven percent of U.S. adults planning a vacation before the end of the year report some degree of uncertainty they will actually be able to take their vacation.
As a result, some are opting for spur-of-the-moment travel decisions as they take coronavirus implications into account. According to AAA's survey, one in five who are planning a trip before the end of this year but haven't booked yet expect to do so within one week of traveling. AAA advises these travelers to take proper precautions to help keep themselves and others safe while away from home.
The vast majority of trips this fall, around 80 percent, will be road trips. Not surprisingly, when they pack up their cars, more Americans are heading to destinations known for outdoor recreation and socially distanced fun than in previous years.
Lower prices at the gas pump may also be motivating some would-be travelers to hit the road this fall. On average, gas prices nationally are nearly 50 cents cheaper than this time last year, and are the cheapest fall prices since 2016.
*Survey findings are the result of a probability-based panel designed to be representative of the U.S. household population overall.
The panel provides sample coverage of approximately 97 percent of the U.S. household population. Most surveys were completed online; consumers without Internet access were surveyed over the phone. A total of 1,041 interviews were completed among U.S. adults, 18 years of age or older. The margin of error for the study overall is 3.9 percent at the 95 percent confidence level.
graphic courtesy of AAA