Over the course of this year, it’s been more than apparent that people are ready to resume normal life.
Many folks are dining out, going back to work, getting together with friends, and otherwise living their lives. In some parts of the country, such as Florida and Texas, people are already essentially back to normal and enjoying their lives.
With 2021 coming to a close, the season of holiday travel is here. Many folks are more eager than ever to get together with loved ones, spend time with their friends, and otherwise enjoy their Christmas and New Year.
According to Fox Business, the 2021 rates of Christmas holiday travel are expected to supersede those of 2020, to say the least.
What to Know About Christmas Travel in 2021
Earlier this week, AAA confirmed that at least 109 million people in the country are expected to travel for Christmas. The projections additionally state that 6.4 million will travel via air, while 100 million use cars, and 2.9 million rely upon trains, buses, and cruises.
As it turns out, these numbers are very good news for airlines which suffered some hard hits in 2020. AAA maintains that this year will bring a 184% surge in people who are using airlines to get to and from their destinations.
We have your day-by-day #Christmas holiday travel forecast, including potential flight delays and where road travel may be slick.https://t.co/Yls3SV6KYW pic.twitter.com/4kLsOIOqOr
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) December 18, 2021
These latest developments on Christmas travel also come as record numbers of people traveled for Thanksgiving last month. As Americans are doing with the Christmas holiday, many folks also decided that for Thanksgiving, they wanted to be surrounded by family members and other loved ones.
Over the course of this week alone, there have already been photos and videos making their way on social media of long lines in airports.
A Positive Sign of the Times?
As 2021 has run its course, many Americans are showing signs of fatigue with COVID. With multiple COVID vaccines available, a good deal of people also don’t want to feel as though they’re trapped in pandemic mode forever.
This explains why 2021 travel rates for Thanksgiving and Christmas are far outpacing the 2020 rates, in addition to rivaling the levels of travel seen in 2019. This could be a positive sign of the times, as it shows that fewer people are willing to put their lives on hold indefinitely.
Long lines at SLC airport today! Christmas travel! pic.twitter.com/TsEioGIp4y
— Eddie Ho (@eddiehosa) December 18, 2021
At the end of the day, time will tell what all else lies ahead for travel in the United States. However, if the 2021 Thanksgiving and Christmas travel rates are any indication, then the travel industry should be bouncing back to pre-2020 status very soon.
Are you going to be traveling this year for Christmas? What are your thoughts about the levels of Christmas travel currently being projected for this year? We’d love to get your insight and feedback on this year’s travel in the comments section below.
