Since the pandemic, our travel plans have been up in the air: it’s not easy keeping up with local restrictions, let alone in places across the country or even the world. A new survey from Travelocity conducted this month finds that one group of travelers have been paving the way when it comes to pandemic travel: parents! In fact, the research found that family travel will be the first to come roaring back. Read on to find out why and where parents are going in 2021.
Travelocity’s recent study showed a few patterns that demonstrate that pandemic travel, post-pandemic travel and family travel are still going strong. It showed (surprisingly) that parents are twice as likely to have traveled since the start of the pandemic.
Why are parents seemingly more comfortable with travel in 2021? The study revealed:
Parents know the industry: 57% identify as extremely or very familiar with the travel industry (compared to 42% of non-parents).
Parents are savvy online and they know how to make it work for them: 53% use social media to research travel changes and policies, 46% use local news and news sites, and 37% use travel websites (vs. using word of mouth or exchanging info with friends).
55% of parents are confident in their 2021 travel plans. Parents are planning earlier trips and booking their trips earlier than non-parents. 56% of parents who will travel in 2021 are already planning or will start planning their first leisure vacation in the next few weeks. 44% of parents indicate they’d feel comfortable traveling knowing that those around them had been vaccinated.
So what’s the most common trends among families? A trip to visit family (40%) followed by a road trip or a beach trip (30%). Following that, trips to visit friends (26%) or weekend getaways (26%) are on family bucket lists for 2021.
Parents also site hotel cleanliness as the most important factor in making decisions about where to go or stay.
—Jennifer Swartvagher
Featured photo: Natalya Zaritskaya on Unsplash
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