Fall is nearly here and, though it’s typically a shoulder season for travel, 2020 demand for certain types of vacations—like camping and vacation rental beach getaways—remained strong. Vacasa teamed up with Allison+Partners to survey 1,000 Americans and see if that trend will hold steady for the 2021 season, as well as how, where and why people are planning autumn vacations.
Despite ongoing concern around the Delta variant, findings show that people are still prioritizing vacations this fall—with safety top of mind. A total of 62% of respondents have already or are likely to receive the vaccine before traveling, and are favoring road trips and destinations with ample outdoor activities.
That aligns with what Vacasa data found, with nature-rich vacation spots like Outer Banks, NC; Moab, Utah; and markets surrounding Acadia National Park in Maine, all among the most popular escapes for September and October.
Key findings from Vacasa’s 2021 Fall Travel Trends report:
- Work-cations are fully charged for fall: respondents who work remote or in a hybrid format are the most likely to plan to travel (75% and 71%, respectively).
- While 48% of parents are planning to travel with their kids, 46% are planning a vacation with their spouse only.
- More than half (53%) of travelers are planning to take a trip this season that was postponed from earlier in the year. However, it varies by generation—71% of Gen Zers are planning makeup trips, while 63% of boomers are making fresh travel plans.
- Regardless of current travel plans, 41% of Americans would most likely travel for a family event (birthday, reunion, etc.), with 35% of consumers saying that a family reunion would most inspire them to travel—an increase from a similar survey fielded this summer.
- Most people would prefer to stay grounded if they were to travel this fall, with more than half of U.S. consumers favoring a road trip (53%), followed by a domestic trip within the U.S. (42%) and a camping trip (23%).
- In relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, 32% of travelers say that new COVID-19 variants will factor into their upcoming travel plans, along with the number of restrictions in their desired destination (29%) and COVID-19 vaccine requirements (27%).