U.S. Travelers Ready to Hit Road Post-COVID

According to a survey of more than 1,000 “frequent travelers” done by digital coupon company couponlawn.com, a full three-quarters says they would rather travel physically after the threat of COVID-19 has diminished, as they believe that “virtual travel will never be as awesome as being there physically.” About one in five respondents said they preferred virtual travel because it is more budget-friendly than actual travel.

Likewise, a similar three-quarters of respondents said they already have travel plans established for the next few months, with 58.6% claiming to have already booked tickets for travel during the upcoming months. The top two reasons for traveling amid the COVID-19 pandemic were to visit family/loved ones (42%) and “for my own hobby as adventurer” (32%), suggesting the influence of adventure is very strong among some.

A full 86% said they had travels plans for the first quarter of 2020 that were cancelled.

About half of frequent travelers expect their travel budget to remain the same or increase upon normal levels once the pandemic has passed. One in 10 express some pent-up demand saying they will increase travel budgets once things have cleard. The vast majority (95.7%) said they would follow protocols and take precautionary measures to keep themselves safe while traveling such as putting on face masks, practicing social distancing, washing hands and using hand sanitizers regularly.

Incidentally, just more than half of the respondent base was classified as millennials, with the rest being from Gen X, Z and Boomers.