Most Americans Are Looking to Hit the Road This Summer, According to Expedia Data

An overwhelming majority of Americans are looking to load up the car and take a road trip this summer, according to a new Expedia.com survey shared with Travel + Leisure.

The company's 2020 Summer Travel Report — which surveyed 1,000 Americans — found that 85 percent of travelers are looking to hit the road this summer, with searches for domestic stays between June and September up 10 percent compared to last year.

“People miss travel, they have vacation days to use and they also want to stay safe,” Expedia’s senior director of PR and social, Nisreene Atassi, said in a statement provided to T+L. “While the desire to get away is still going strong for many of us, how and where we’re choosing to go this summer looks different.”

Searches for domestic stays also made up nearly 85 percent of all hotel searches in June, the company noted, and about a quarter of hotels that were booked in June were for stays within someone’s home state. When it comes to road-tripping, Expedia said 72 percent of those surveyed reported getting in a car feels safer than flying in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

And while price remains a factor for travelers, those surveyed ranked both health and safety and avoiding crowds as more important to them than budget.

“Beaches and national parks remain popular, but more Americans are choosing destinations that are closer to home and drivable, versus going somewhere more exotic,” Atassi said.

Last-minute getaways have also seen a boost along with travelers valuing flexibility — 97 percent of hotels booked in June were for refundable rates, up 20 percent from last year.

“Interestingly, we’ve seen that travelers are making these plans at the last minute,” Atassi added. “Things are so unpredictable right now with COVID-19, so it’s possible that travelers feel more comfortable making travel plans for the near future vs. planning too far ahead.”