Published September 2021
Last fall, when travel would have traditionally tapered off post-Labor Day—known as a “shoulder season” in the travel industry—the demand for vacation rentals remained constant. There’s no doubt the pandemic proved how much people value vacations and the ability to safely get away with family and close friends to explore new destinations. So, as we enter the second autumn of the pandemic, Vacasa teamed up with Allison + Partners to survey* 1,000 Americans over the age of 18 and see what travel trends we could harvest from the findings.
With 53% of Americans planning to take a trip this fall, we’re finding that people are still feeling relatively safe about travel—and that aligns with what we raked in from our own data, too.
As of last month, Vacasa’s booking window—or how far in advance guests are making reservations—for stays in September and October was roughly 45% longer compared to 2020 and even 5% longer compared to 2019. The advance planning indicates that, as of now, people continue to feel more confident in travel than they had in 2020.
Still, many of the most popular Vacasa destinations for September and October suggest that travelers continue to seek out places with ample outdoor activities and room to physically distance, including Outer Banks, North Carolina; Moab, Utah; and markets surrounding Acadia National Park in Maine.
With that in mind, let’s dig into the cornucopia of fall travel findings.
Back to school means parents get a break too, right? While 48% of parents are planning to travel with their kids, a near-even 46% are planning a vacation with their spouse only.
*Allison+Partners Research + Insights surveyed 1,001 individuals over the age of 18 in the United States. The survey was fielded using the Qualtrics Insight Platform and panel was sourced from Lucid. Fielding was executed in August 2021.