How COVID changed travel trends

A global pandemic will change things. Forever. There is no going “back.” Only forward. After being cooped up in our homes, we changed our habits, our way of working, where we live. And, we changed the way we travel. As we reflect on how travel changed, we asked ourselves a few questions:

What does the new "normal" look like in travel?

We have entered a new renaissance in travel. For those that will perpetually work from home in a permanent or blended environment - those that can work from anywhere - there is a strong desire to work from everywhere. Trips are getting longer and muti-destination travel is more prevalent. We stay in New York for a month and then hop down to Miami for two months.

There is however an interesting tension between the consumer's desire to move and the skyrocketing prices in the travel industry. The solution to this problem is home swapping - staying in on another’s homes for free so that we can save costs on travel accommodations. It allows us to travel more.

Will certain destinations, or certain modes of travel, be permanently restricted?

Since international travel is restricted in many places, and most companies have policies oriented on staying within the US while working, road tripping is becoming more popular. We are packing up our things, loading our cars, and seeing where the drive takes us.

We've learned that we don't need to take much with us. We can cycle out a few t-shirts for Zoom calls and it's perfectly acceptable. Professionalism is about what you say and do. Dead is dressing for the job you want.

As far as places we go, now that we don't have to be near an office to save time on commuting, summers up north and winters down south will trend with a new demographic. It will welcome remote workers to join the retirees, who were once an elite group privy to a good-weather-chasing lifestyle.

Smaller towns are, and will continue to be, popular. They offer a unique escape from the hectic back-to-back Zoom calls while still providing a sense of adventure and exploration.

Will some people continue to travel, while others are grounded forever?

Travel habits change, but people don't. Those that traveled a lot before COVID will find a way to move in this new world. Those that never liked to travel still don't.