Excerpt from Conde Nast
Travel this summer will be radically unlike what we've done in years past. But with temperatures rising, and national parks and theme parks slowly reopening, there's a glimmer of hope in the air. We might not be able to do that annual Europe trip or get the whole extended family together overseas, but there is still plenty to look forward to.
If these past few months have taught us anything, it's that with a little creativity and a lot of pent-up energy, even the smallest of journeys can be thrilling. Biking one neighborhood over can be a revelation. Even a day hike promises new sights and sounds. Our backyards and balconies, tired as we may be of them, present new possibilities in the light of summer—from barbecuing to creating a beach day away from the crowds. Over the coming months, we'll likely inch a little further afield, too, as some forms of entertainment and escape are back on the table, from drive-ins to private cabins in secluded destinations, and more.
How far we’re willing to travel—and where we’ll go—will vary tremendously regionally. “In places that haven’t been hit as hard, there might be a quicker return to longer road trips and a higher comfort level than other parts of the country,” Clement says. In a Condé Nast Traveler online study, 42 percent of responders said they would drive up to six hours from home for a trip. Forty-one percent said they would consider driving more than seven hours, and 23 percent felt that way about a 10-plus-hour trip. For those in harder-hit regions, shorter car trips—with added precautions like minimizing your drive time to avoid rest stops, sit-down meal breaks, and other public facilities—may be the norm for some time.“In the Northeast, it makes sense to focus on the traditional day trip markets and convert those folks into overnighters,” says Clement. “But in Florida, everyone is waiting to see Disney’s and Universal’s decisions about reopening theme parks. They feel like once that happens, people will get on an airplane to go to Disney.”
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