Will COVID-19 affect autumn travel plans? Experts know that

The travel industry saw it last year. While travel has improved since the vaccine was launched, with the spike in COVID-19 cases, things aren’t looking too good for travel plans this fall.

The Huffington Post spoke to several travel experts who shared their views on the matter. Here’s what they had to say.

All travel methods will be less popular

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Willis Orlando of Scott’s Cheap Flights said travel bookings are already seeing a decline. “All summer there has been a steady momentum towards a return to normal travel demand, especially domestically,” he said. “But this dynamic has fizzled out in the last few months.”

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International travel is also expected to become less popular, which is significant given that international travel is nowhere near fully recovered. Val Anthony, Tripadvisor’s senior research analyst, said, “This August, 84% of trips booked by Americans on Tripadvisor were domestic and only 16% were international.”

While bookings are likely to be cheaper, it is important to keep in mind that if you are traveling internationally, returning to the US is likely to require a negative COVID-19 test and, depending on the country of travel, an entry test.

Vaccination rates have an impact when traveling

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Many people are likely to turn to road trips, which have seen a boom over the past year due to the pandemic. Road trips are one of the safest travel options for travelers as they limit contact between other people. You will likely become options for people to meet over Thanksgiving and other holidays.

Places with high levels of hospitalization and COVID-19 cases are also likely to get fewer travelers, as people would most likely avoid staying in a place with little access to hospitals and stressful nightlife spots.

But people will travel anyway

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Despite the rise in COVID-19 cases, travel has increased over time and is unlikely to stop. With the vaccine, the majority of people will consider air travel safe. Measures such as face masks, cleaning planes thoroughly, and asking for vaccine confirmation for restaurant reservations and other social activities will prevent the spread and make people feel safer so they can do more things than they did last year.

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When it comes to travel plans for fall, it is important to know your level of risk and the place you are going. Be flexible with your travel plans and remember that a pandemic is still ongoing and that it is important to be polite to others.