We are in the thick of the long-anticipated travel rebound in the U.S., as vaccination rates increase and international travel starts to reopen. For many, family reunions, weddings and Fourth of July gatherings are no longer fantasy, but now an imminent possibility.
This positive momentum in travel signals rapid transformation for the industry. As a result, there’s a widely held desire to evolve and exceed traveler expectations. Expedia Group surveyed 2,200 Americans in partnership with Morning Consult this month to gauge the level of pent-up travel demand and how it will manifest in the summer months, plus discover what travelers are seeking. Here are some key findings:
- The majority of Americans have travel plans locked in this summer, and vaccinated travelers are in the lead, as 66% of people will take at least one trip over the summer, and approximately one in four will travel for July 4th. More vaccinated individuals (69%) plan to travel this summer than those who are unvaccinated (63%).
- Americans living in urban areas (59%) are most likely to travel more following the pandemic than they did before COVID-19, compared to 50% of suburbanites and 45% of rural residents, and 67% of millennials and 65% of Gen Z are planning revenge travel, while 45% of Gen X and 39% Boomers are doing the same.
- On average, travelers plan to spend $1,674 on their next vacation. Of course, this number scales with income. Americans who make $100K or more will splurge $2,929 on average.
People who earn $50K-$100K plan to spend $1,773, and those who make under $50K will dole out $1,080 for an upcoming trip. - As we emerge from the pandemic in the U.S., 58% of people would be comfortable hopping on a plane in the next three months—39% of whom haven’t been in an airport since March 2020.
Millennials (70%) and Gen Z (63%) are most excited to fly, and vaccinated Americans (60%) are more comfortable than unvaccinated Americans (54%) with air travel. - Among those vaccinated, 85% would be willing to share their vaccination status with others to ease concerns of contracting COVID-19—whether it’s telling a seatmate on a plane or someone boarding an elevator as a token of acceptance. On the flip side, only 44% of those who are unvaccinated would be willing to reveal this fact.
