Buffalo, NY (WBEN) With the holiday season upon us, expect less company if you're driving over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house for Christmas. AAA says COVID19 is prompting more Americans to stay home this year.
While AAA expects at least 34 million fewer travelers compared to last year's holiday season, as many as 84.5million Americans may still travel from Dec. 23 through Jan. 3, a decline in travel of at least 29%. "For the past several years, travel was booming. Families were jet setting around, and they've gone from all that to staying home for 2020," says Elizabeth Carey of AAA of Western and Central New York. "A lot of people look to an extravagant vacation to end the year. A lot of people would take cruises, go to different islands, maybe go to Europe. But Americans are choosing not to do that this year." Carey says this is the first decline since 2008.
Carey says AAA is not encouraging to travel, as the CDC urges Americans not to travel for the holidays this year, warning that travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.
Carey notes travel accessories are becoming a go-to gift. "Under a lot of trees, people will unwrap luggage, maybe inside a vacation or a gift certificate to travel," notes Carey.
Director of Travel Brian Murray says there's been a lot of pent-up demand for travel and may use travel gifts to plan for future trips. "People are looking into those travel opportunities. When you really think of all the disrupted travel this year, people have a lot of credits to use, and so they're looking to make arrangements now so they have something to look forward to in the future," says Murray.
For air travel, Murray says that will drop by 3.4 percent, and even more may change plans, either cancelling or switching to ground transportation. If you are flying, Murray urges you to plan ahead. "Travelers should be aware of limited airport services, social distancing, limited seating. Some restaurants will not be open," notes Murray.
If you plan on taking gifts to the airport, don't wrap them. "You'll have to unwrap them at TSA as they'll require them unwrapped. Buy wrapping paper at your destination or pack it and wrap them later," warns Murray.
If you're driving for a holiday vacation, you'll be far from alone. "A trend we've noticed since summer is traveling by car. The good old road trip is the preferred mode of travel," says April Engram of AAA. "Up to 81 million Americans will travel by car this holiday season. This will be the lowest volume by car since 2008."
Some good news if you're driving. "Gas prices remain much cheaper than they were last year. The average price is $2.28 per gallon for regular gas, last year, it was $2.68," says Engram.
AAA reminds those hitting the road to plan their route in advance and ensure their vehicle is ready for the road, to help avoid a breakdown along the way. AAA expects to rescue more than 905,000 Americans at the roadside this holiday season.
