Summer Travel Survey 2021 — Comfort Level, Mask Wearing, Ideal Vacation, Activity Importance, Pets

2024 Update – Summer 2024 is around the corner, and we have new data! See our Summer Travel Survey & Trends 2024 article for more information.

Our first Summer Travel Survey revealed that nearly 68% of American adults will vacation this summer. Additionally, 25% of people said they intend to revenge travel. The data indicates that more people are traveling than ever before during the pandemic. Therefore, it was no surprise our Fourth of July Survey indicated over 51% of adults will travel for the holiday.

We conducted this second summer survey in order to gain further insight into traveling this season. What events and locations are people comfortable traveling to? Will people wear face masks this year even when they aren’t required? What is the ideal vacation? What vacation activities are most important this summer? Is a pet involved in travel plans this year? Below you can find the results of our survey as well as demographics and key takeaways.

Which events and vacation locations are you currently comfortable going to this summer? (Check All That Apply)

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Sporting Events (NFL, MLB, NBA, etc.). — 5.85%
• Concerts. — 9.94%
• Beaches or Lakes. — 35.09%
• Theme Parks. — 8.38%
• Cruises. — 2.53%
• Movie Theaters. — 7.02%
• Restaurants and Bars. — 31.19%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — Men are more likely to be comfortable going to sporting events, concerts, cruises and movie theaters this summer. On the other hand, women are more likely to be comfortable with beaches, theme parks and restaurants. The biggest discrepancies between women and men regarding comfort were when analyzing concerts and cruises. 13.08% of men are comfortable going to concerts while only 6.77% of women are. Additionally, 4.23% of men are comfortable going on cruises while only 0.80% of women are.

Key Takeaway — At least three times more American adults feel comfortable going to beaches or lakes and restaurants or bars than any other vacation activities. 35.09% of people feel comfortable going to a beach or lake on vacation. And, 31.19% feel comfortable going to restaurants and bars. Both of these figures are exponentially higher than the amount of people comfortable going to the other vacation options. The 9.94% of people that feel comfortable going to concerts is the third highest. That percentage is still higher than the 2.53% that would be comfortable going on a cruise this summer. Cruises are where people feel least comfortable.

If you travel this summer (regardless if you think you will or not), would you wear your face mask on the trip when it is not required?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Yes. — 61.12%
• No. — 38.88%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — As a person’s age increases, they are less likely to wear a mask vacationing when not required this summer. 53.57% of American adults over age 60 said they would wear a mask when not required this summer. However, 59.09% of people aged 45-60 said this. And, 63.87% of people aged 30-44 did. Lastly, 66.91% aged 18-29 said they would still wear a mask traveling this summer even when not required. This data is likely due to the fact that more older people are vaccinated than younger generations. Also, it aligns with our Fourth of July Survey. This survey showed those over 60 were most likely to say COVID-19 was “No Concern at All”.

Key Takeaway — More than 6 out of every 10 American adults would still wear a face mask on a trip even when not required. The 61.12% represents over 157 million people according to the latest census. Yes, more people are traveling now than ever since the pandemic begun. However, people are still being cautious and this is likely to continue for some time.

What would be your ideal vacation this summer?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Beach Excursion. — 28.19%
• Lake Getaway. — 12.74%
• Mountains Adventure. — 13.71%
• City Exploring. — 11.00%
• National Park Visit. — 12.36%
• Road Trip. — 22.01%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — A beach excursion was the top ideal vacation this summer for every age group except the over 60 group. American adults over age 60 rated a road trip as their ideal vacation. When we look at the data, we see that 22.89% of the over 60 group rate beach excursion as their ideal vacation. However, 34.94% of them rated road trip as their ideal vacation. Interestingly, when we look at city exploring we see the 18-29 age group being the most likely to choose that vacation. Older Americans are desiring to hit the open road this summer while younger Americans are more likely to be heading to the city.

Key Takeaway — More than one out of every four American adults rate a beach excursion as their ideal vacation for this summer. The 28.19% represents nearly 73 million people. Beach excursion is the ideal vacation for the most people this summer by a wide margin. Road trip is number two at 22.01%. And, as we just mentioned, the older generation is pulling up that figure.

Which of these vacation activities do you rate as important for this summer? (Check All that Apply.)

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Visiting Family. — 61.23%
• Sightseeing. — 49.52%
• Experiencing Local Culture, Food and Drinks. — 41.84%
• Exploring Nature. — 45.30%
• Shopping. — 25.14%
• Physical Activity. — 33.01%
• Relaxing. — 58.93%
• Social Networking. — 8.06%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — The widest margin of importance for vacation activities between men and women were with exploring nature and shopping. Significantly more women rated exploring nature and shopping as important when compared to men. 50.59% of women stated exploring nature was important on vacation while only 39.85% of men did. And, 31.62% of women said shopping was important on vacation while only 19.17% of men did.

Key Takeaway — More than half of all people think that visiting family or relaxing are the most important vacation activities this summer. 61.23% of American adults rated visiting family as important. Additionally, 58.93% rated relaxing as important. These figures are substantially higher than other common vacationing activities such as shopping and exploring nature. Shopping was only rated as important by 25.14% of people. And, 45.30% of people thought exploring nature is important. This data makes sense based on the pandemic preventing families from seeing each other and taking peace of mind from many adults.

Do you plan to take your pet with you on a trip this summer?

Let’s take a look at the survey results:

• Yes. — 37.86%
• No. — 62.14%

Interesting Demographic Comparison — The New England region is the most likely to take their pet on a trip over the summer. This region consists of the states Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. 50% of American adults in this region said they will take their pet on their summer trip. This is more than 12% above the average. And, it is also nearly 23% higher than the lowest region which was the West South Central. This region consists of the states Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas.

Key Takeaway — Almost 4 out of every 10 American adults plan to take their pet on a trip this summer. The 37.86% of people who indicated this represent nearly 98 million people. Given how much people love their pets, this should come as no surprise. Dogs especially are great companions for road trips, hiking and exploring.

Survey Methodology

This second Summer Travel Survey was conducted by SurveyMonkey on behalf of The Vacationer. In total, 531 Americans over the age of 18 were polled between June 1 and June 2. Of those surveyed, 51.04% were male and 48.96% were female. The age breakdown of participants included in this survey was 26.74% in the range 18-29, 22.79% in the range 30-44, 33.71% in the range 45-60, and 16.76% over 60. This survey has a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of ±4.34%. You can learn more about SurveyMonkey’s sampling method by clicking here.

The questions were chosen and the results were analyzed by the post author, Eric Jones, who is a Mathematics and Statistics Professor at Rowan College South Jersey.

Further Reading: How to Find Cheap Summer Flights

Editorial Disclosure: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.