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At least 34 million fewer people are expected to travel this year compared to last year, according to projections from AAA, which expects Americans to stay home this year as the virus continues to spread rapidly as the temperature drops.
Despite the expected drop in travelers due to travel restrictions and health decisions related to COVID-19, as many as 84.5 million Americans still may travel between Wednesday, Dec. 23, and Sunday, Jan. 3, AAA noted.
“While Thanksgiving is traditionally spent gathering with friends and family, the year-end holidays are when Americans often venture out for longer, more elaborate vacations. That will not be the case this year,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel said in a statement.
“Public health concerns, official guidance not to travel, and an overall decline in consumer sentiment have encouraged the vast majority of Americans to stay home for the holidays.”
The CDC has previously advised that any non-essential travel should be postponed as the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are on the rise across the country.
“Travel can increase your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19,” their guidance states. “Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.
“You and your travel companions (including children) may feel well and not have any symptoms, but you can still spread COVID-19 to family, friends, and community after travel,” they added. “If you have a known exposure to COVID-19 you should delay travel, quarantine yourself from other people, get tested, and monitor your health.”
The CDC has recommended that travelers planning to hit the road should take a COVID-19 test one to three days before travel, and non-essential activities should be reduced for up to a week before any planned trip.
According to AAA, they projected a 10 percent decline over holiday travels, which may actually be closer to between 15 percent and 20 percent, though official numbers are not yet available.
“Holiday travelers are continuing to take a wait-and-see approach to their travel decisions,” AAA noted. “With COVID‑19 cases steadily increasing this month, the expected continued rise will likely prompt some Americans to make last-minute decisions to not follow through with upcoming travel plans, which was the trend during the lead up to Thanksgiving.”
Americans choosing to travel will likely do so by car, with AAA projecting it to account for 96 percent of holiday travel. Approximately 80 million people will take a road trip, a drop of at least 25 percent from last year, and travelers are less likely to take mass transit or fly to their destination.
“Typically, cheaper gas prices are an incentive for last-minute trips, especially around the holidays,” AAA spokesperson Jeanette Casselano McGee said. “But the lower prices and less traffic aren’t driving decisions to hit the road. Americans are looking to the public health landscape, including COVID-19 case numbers, to make their travel decisions.
“Usually year-end holidays such as Christmas, Hanukah, and New Years are times when Americans embark on long vacations,” she said. “But that’s generally not the case this year.”
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