I am Outta Here!

Have you been anywhere fun, or exciting, or exotic lately? Yeah, neither have we. But it sure sounds nice, right? After being stuck inside for almost a year now, even a trip to the grocery store with your partner feels like a romantic vacation. In fact, the abrupt lack of travel opportunity in 2020 led to countless canceled trips and frustrated families, leaving potential attraction visitors desperate for future destination visitation.

The Need to Escape

With every curveball that 2020 threw our way, our need to relieve stress has risen exponentially. PGAV’s Voice of the Visitor 2021 research noted that experiential, upscale rejuvenation trips will be in high demand for those with saved money who are looking to alleviate pent-up mental stress, specifically with front-line workers, parents working-from-home while homeschooling, and travelers looking for a family getaway. While safety has clearly become the #1 criteria, other motivators such as relaxation, entertaining the family unit, or just finding a place to have fun continue to drive visitor’s travel plans.

Some industry-watchers, including Steve LeVine at Marker, predict that the 2020’s could become the next ‘Roaring Twenties.’ “As increasing numbers of people are vaccinated and the country reopens, Americans are likely to bolt into a bacchanalia of dining, drinking, travel, and other revelry. Travel businesses are already seeing bookings that would carry this pent-up partying all the way through 2022 and into 2023.”

Two Types of Planners

When we look at the ways in which people are planning to get away when “all of this is over” (or at least when they feel safe enough to travel), we see two types of planners: the Long-Range Planner and the Spontaneous Traveler.

The Long-Range Planner channels their energy into the design and organization of their dream vacation. They’ve been bookmarking web sites, ogling Instagram, and binge-watching the Travel Channel as they anticipate vaccine-related changes. Global research from Forbes measured, “70% of people are already planning their 2021 break or about to start doing so soon…Prolonged periods at home during the pandemic is only going to have heightened people’s sense of adventure and search for escapism.”

On the other end of the spectrum is The Spontaneous Traveler who will wait until the last minute to determine it’s safe enough (for them), cost-effective (everyone loves a good deal), and convenient to visit a destination. AARP predicts “last-minute getaways will be all the rage…Even those of us used to planning our big vacations months in advance may now wait to do so until close to departure. According to a recent trends report from the vacation rental site HomeToGo, the average time before check-in between when the pandemic began and the end of September was 50 days, a drop of almost 38 percent from the average lead time before the pandemic. This more spontaneous, wait-and-see approach to travel is likely to continue.”

A Cross-Generational Affair

The need to escape clearly isn’t limited by age, or by gender, or by most any other factor. In a small sample of PGAVers from multiple generations, it became clear that the need to travel in 2021 is real, palpable, and could happen in many forms.

Jess Solomon
Graphic Designer
proud Millennial

 “I would love to be able to travel again in 2021. Notably, I’d like to be able to go on my 2-week honeymoon that was scheduled for May of 2020 to Italy and England. 2021 just started, and we’ve already taken a long weekend to Innsbrook, MO. Simply being in a cabin in the woods (not being in our own house) for a few days was amazingly refreshing.”

Justin Stichter
Architect
strong-willed Xennial

“I don’t know what was harder, telling my kids we couldn’t take our Spring Break 2020 trip to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World, or realizing it myself. We are definitely going as soon as possible—hopefully Christmas 2021!”

Tom Owen
Vice President
self-confessed Boomer

“A lot of cabin fever at the Owen house. We are looking into a beach trip late this summer. We have lots of reward miles left over from 2019!”

Light at the End of the Tunnel

Whether they are Long-Range Planners who stay sane through action, or Spontaneous Travelers sustained by dreams, the goal of future destination travel is keeping many people strong. Planning their next trip to a destination or attraction may just be what gets them through the end of this pandemic, and finally getting to go there (when it’s safe to do so) may be the ultimate reward.

Reinvention is more fun with friends. Got a topic you want to see on Destinology?
Email us at destinology@pgav.com or start a conversation on Facebook, Twitter on LinkedIn.
Tap the buttons below.