In 2020, there’s no place like ‘stuck at home’ for the holidays
This year, home for the holidays seems more like a fact of life than a destination.
Estimates from experts vary widely on how much that is true, but one thing is clear: The combination of COVID-19 concerns and the poor economy will result in more people staying put for the holidays.
Tripadvisor, a website that offers reviews on hotels and destinations, estimates 55% of Americans will travel from Sunday through Jan. 3. GasBuddy, a travel and navigation app that helps drivers find fuel at the lowest prices, estimates a more modest 34% will travel. And the American Hotel & Lodging Association put the number at 31%.
How many people is that and how does it compare? According to AAA, about 85.5 million people will still travel between Dec.
23 and Jan. 3, down about 29% from last year’s figure of 118.5 million holiday travelers. And the vast majority, about 81 million, will travel by car.
“During any other year, many Americans would be using up their vacation days by taking a year-end cruise or overseas trip, but this year we expect more people will be visiting with their families and friends virtually,” Bevi Powell, senior vice president for AAA East Central, said in a news release.
“More Americans will spend time at home and in quarantine, which we believe will lead to further pent up demand for travel when the pandemic comes to a close.”
Tripadvisor expects yearend holiday travel to be down about 20%, about the same as Thanksgiving. It says about 45% say they will be visiting family, but 39% will be going away for a holiday vacation.
For drivers, the busiest days on the road are expected to be the bookend Sundays — Dec. 20, when 28% will hit the road, and Dec. 27, when 20% will head home. And for those who drive, gasoline prices are down about 50 cents (about 19%) compared with a year ago.
GasBuddy says the pandemic will cause about 10% to drive instead or take another form of transportation, and 14% said gas prices encouraged them to drive.
“It’s been a nightmarish year for many due to the spread of COVID-19 and economic challenges that came with it,” Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a news release. “But many Americans have deeply rooted traditions for the holiday and are unwilling to let them slip away like the rest of the year.”
Although much of the Northeast is blanketed in snow, the long-range weather forecast calls for mostly clear weather from Friday through at least Tuesday with highs in the mid-30s to low 40s.
Still, motorists should be aware that about 46% of all crashes in bad weather occur during winter months, according to research by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. Before a long winter trip, AAA recommends drivers have their cars checked for worn tires or wiper blades, check the battery and prepare an emergency kit that includes sand or cat litter, a small shovel, a flashlight, an ice scraper or snow brush, booster cables, a blanket, gloves or mittens and flares or reflective triangles.
Anyone who hits the roads for the holidays should be extra careful this year, the Governors Highway Safety Association recommended. The agency noted that although traffic has been reduced substantially during the pandemic, the number of fatal accidents has not gone down the same amount because more people are speeding or exhibiting other risky behavior on open roads.
The group joined with federal transportation officials, Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the International Chiefs of Police Association early this week to promote holiday enforcement campaigns called “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” and “If You Drive High, Get a DUI.”
“Our members and partners across the U.S. are sending the strong message that driving after consuming too much alcohol and other impairing substances is unacceptable and has made the winter holiday season one of the deadliest times on the road,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said in a news release.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said an average of 300 people died in drunken driving crashes between Christmas and New Year’s Day in the past five years.
“Campaigns like this are critical due to the growing incidence of multi-substance impaired drivers and increasing legal access to marijuana and other drugs in many states,” Mr. Adkins said.