These Will Be the Busiest Travel Days of the 2021 Holiday Season Dez 07, 2021 Travel share Facebook Twitter Google + LinkedIn Pinterest Email Share... These Will Be the Busiest Travel Days of the 2021 Holiday Season As many Americans continue to work from home, the holiday travel schedule is going to look a little different this year. according to Stefanie Waldek. Despite numbers still being a bit lower than they were before the pandemic, demand is rebounding, especially regarding air travel. "We're already seeing significant momentum around international and domestic flight searches when compared to 2020, up 155 percent and 212 percent, respectively," says Matt Clarke, travel expert. "When compared to 2019, however, both international and domestic flight searches are down, 52 percent and 43 percent, respectively." But unlike in the pre-pandemic era, when Americans would book holiday flights weeks if not months in advance, Clarke suspects folks are sitting tight as they monitor travel restrictions, waiting until the holidays approach to purchase tickets. "The trend for last-minute bookings is strong," he says. The demand for car rentals in the U.S. this holiday season is already up 229 percent compared to 2019 and up 244 percent compared to 2020, an indicator that we could experience another car rental shortage this holiday season as we're seeing an increase in those searching further in advance for car rentals than years prior," says Clarke. Those who choose to travel are strongly encouraged to check local government restrictions, rules, and safety measures related to COVID-19 and take personal comfort levels and health conditions into consideration before departure. While the travel industry certainly is rebounding from its lowest point during the pandemic, things are getting a little dicey with all the COVID-19 variants out there. This summer, it seemed as if travel was almost back to normal, but with new restrictions in place both at home and abroad, it's possible that the numbers of travelers hitting the road (or the skies) might slow down a little bit once again as we head into the holiday season. But many travelers are determined to continue with their vacations. According to a survey of more than 5,000 travelers by vacation rental site Evolve, 32 percent of travelers are not factoring the Delta variant into their travel plans at all, and of the travelers who are, 46.5 percent won't consider canceling their plans because of it "until much closer to the trip dates."
