Cars.com Finds 84% of Travelers Will Drive This Thanksgiving Holiday, Steered by Flight Disruptions, Flexible Work Schedules and Lingering COVID-19 Concerns

More Than Half of Americans Plan to Travel This Thanksgiving Holiday, Up 46% From 2020; 62% of Drivers Cite the Ongoing Pandemic as the Primary Reason for Driving

News provided by

Cars.com Inc.

Nov 15, 2021, 07:00 ET

CHICAGO, Nov. 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The era of remote work will allow many Americans to spend more time with family this Thanksgiving weekend. With increased flexibility, 65% of remote or hybrid workers will drive over flying to their destinations this holiday and are staying longer than usual, according to a national survey by Cars.com^TM (NYSE: CARS), a leading car shopping marketplace. Overall, 57% of Americans plan to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday, with 84% choosing to drive. In fact, of those planning to drive, 1 in 4 say they originally booked a flight but canceled due to factors beyond their control, such as rising rental car prices and flight disruptions.¹

"With more companies turning to permanent remote or hybrid schedules for American workers coupled with ongoing pandemic concerns, holiday travel decisions are shifting and providing a more compelling reason to drive personal vehicles over other forms of transportation," said Mike Hanley, Cars.com senior editor. "For many, the lower costs, increased flexibility and added convenience are enough to tip the scale in favor of road trips this holiday season."

Additional insights revealed by Cars.com's survey on Thanksgiving travel include:

More flexibility, more distance traveled. With more time to travel and a willingness to venture farther from home, more than half of respondents (58%) plan to travel farther this year for Thanksgiving than they did last year. The most popular region for travel is the South (36%).
Thanksgiving rush hour peaks the weekend before. With the ability to work away from the office now an option for many Americans, nearly half of respondents (48%) plan to leave the weekend prior to Thanksgiving (Friday through Sunday).
Precious cargo also plays a role for drivers. For drivers with children, 65% say they plan to road-trip due to increased convenience that personal transportation provides, such as with car seats. Nearly 80% of respondents are pet owners and 39% of them will bring their pets along. Another 18% of pet owners said they typically fly but are now driving in order to bring along their animal companions.

To learn more about the recent Thanksgiving travel survey, great deals and other car-buying tips and tricks, please visit Cars.com/news.

¹Cars.com's survey results Nov. 1, 2021; 1,010 responses

About Cars.com

CARS is a leading digital marketplace and solutions provider for the automotive industry that connects car shoppers with sellers. Launched in 1998 with the flagship marketplace site Cars.com and headquartered in Chicago, the Company empowers shoppers with the data, resources and digital tools needed to make informed buying decisions and seamlessly connect with automotive retailers. In a rapidly changing market, CARS enables dealerships and OEMs with innovative technical solutions and data-driven intelligence to better reach and influence ready-to-buy shoppers, increase inventory turn and gain market share.

In addition to Cars.com, CARS brands include Dealer Inspire, a technology provider building solutions that future-proof dealerships with more efficient operations and connected digital experiences; FUEL, which gives dealers and OEMs the opportunity to harness the untapped power of digital video by leveraging Cars.com's pure audience of in-market car shoppers, and DealerRater, a leading car dealer review and reputation management platform.

The full suite of CARS brands include Cars.com™, Dealer Inspire®, FUEL™, DealerRater®, Auto.com™, PickupTrucks.com™ and NewCars.com®. For more information, visit www.Cars.com.