Americans take shorter road trips closer to home this Summer

SAN DIEGO, July 22, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Generali Global Assistance (GGA), today announced the findings of their Future of Travel survey conducted by Ipsos which surveyed 11,000 individuals across 11 countries in the US, Europe, and Asia between June 5^th and June 12^th. The Future of Travel surveyed respondents in the United States on their upcoming travel plans and preferences when it comes to accommodations, destinations, and the mode of transportation they plan to use on their next trip. Some of the key highlights from this year's survey are below:

Planned Travel in 2020: While the coronavirus has slowed down travel, Americans are opting to take domestic road trips over a long weekend to more isolated destinations this summer.

• 73 percent said they plan to go on a vacation this year – compared to the Europeans surveyed as a whole, of which 81 percent said they planned to take a trip
• 47 percent indicated they would be traveling domestically this summer for their main trip, only 5 percent said they would travel outside the United States.

Duration and Budget: For their post-lockdown summer trip, most US travelers indicated they prefer a long weekend getaway with a few close traveling companions.

• 34 percent said they would be taking a long weekend getaway for 3-4 days this summer. While 35 percent said they would go on a week-long summer trip.
• 24 percent indicated they would travel with one other person while, surprisingly, 18 percent said they would travel with four to five people this summer.
• $2,450 is what they'll budget for their main trip this year, close to $650 more than their European counterparts (€2,171 compared to a budget €1,604 for European travelers).

Accommodations: Despite the potential for crowds, hotels were still the most popular accommodation for US travelers.  

• 33 percent indicated they would stay at a private rental – up 17 percent from last summer.
• 46 percent of Americans indicated they planned to stay at a hotel this summer.
• 15 percent said they'll be going camping.

Mode of Transportation: Preferences in mode of transport generally matched the shorter domestic trips people indicated they'd take this summer.

• 72 percent, the overwhelming majority of American travelers, indicated they'd be taking their car to their post-lockdown getaway this summer.
• 23 percent of US travelers indicated they would travel by plane this summer.
• 9 percent of travelers said they would be using a rental car this summer.  

Covid Trip Protection: In the wake of the current pandemic, it's no surprise that most travelers are concerned about the coronavirus on their next trip. While delay and cancellation was still the top reason to buy insurance, Covid related health concerns were close behind.   

• 81 percent of insurance buyers think it's important to have specific info on their COVID status before departure and during the trip.
• 87 percent find it important to be covered for emergency medical and hospital expenses.
• 91 percent of Americans find it important to be covered for delays and cancellations. 

Destinations: When US travelers do go on their post-lockdown getaway this summer, these destinations were their top choices:

• 32 percent plan to visit friends and family after a long period of self-isolation.
• 22 percent plan to take a well-deserved beach holiday.
• 15 percent preferred a quiet trip to the countryside.

"Our annual Holiday Barometer, which would have had its twenty-year anniversary this year, was a way for us to share the latest travel preferences held by travelers around the globe," said Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance. "We decided to work with Ipsos to determine what the Future of Travel will be and found that travelers want to enjoy the summer weather and take a break from the monotonous quarantine lifestyle, all while making sure to avoid Covid-19. Forty-eight percent of Vacationers indicated they would rent a house or go camping within driving distance, allowing them to remain secluded during transit and avoid the crowds of unknown people found at hotels and resorts. While Covid-19 is certainly top of mind, the NOAA has also predicted a particularly active Hurricane season, calling for between 13 and 19 named storms, which means if you're looking to do a quarantine beach getaway this summer, you may want to consider some additional protection."

Methodology:

Online survey conducted by Ipsos at the request of Generali Global Assistance's parent company, Europ Assistance, among 11,000 individuals (nationally representative samples of 1,000 people per country) in Europe (France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Poland and the UK), in Asia (China and Thailand) and in the USA. This survey is an updated version of the annual Europ Assistance & Ipsos Holiday Barometer, which was getting underway when the general lock-down began. The goal of this survey is to ascertain how the Covid-19 epidemic has altered holidaymakers' travel plans and aspirations, in order to assist the various players in the tourism sector in preparing for the "post-Covid world".

About Generali Global Assistance

Generali Global Assistance has been a leading provider of travel insurance and other assistance services for nearly 30 years. Generali Global Assistance is part of the Europ Assistance Group, the travel insurer and assistance provider of the multinational Generali Group, which for over 185 years has created a presence in 60 countries with over 76,000 employees. Our success has been built on the foundation of trust that clients have placed in our ability to provide assistance in the most difficult of circumstances.

ABOUT IPSOS

Ipsos is the third largest market research company in the world, present in 90 markets and employing more than 18,000 people.

Our research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers or employees. Our 75 business solutions are based on primary data coming from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

"Game Changers" – our tagline – summarises our ambition to help our 5,000 clients to navigate more easily our deeply changing world.

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Generali Global Assistance Media Contact 
Jay Morakis
M Group Strategic Communications (for Generali Global Assistance North America) 
+1 646-859-5951
[email protected]

SOURCE Generali Global Assistance