Generali Global Assistance (GGA) released a white paper titled “Revival of the Great American Road Trip,” which looks at how the pandemic is creating a revival that may bring road trips back to the level of popularity they experienced from the 1930s until the 1980s. The paper features both historical context and current insights from experts including Jeff Cavins, CEO of Outdoorsy, and the latest findings of Generali Global Assistance’s Future of Travel Survey.
“Travelers are taking to the road this summer in order to remain socially distanced as they travel to their summer getaway,” said Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance. “While 44 percent of respondents from the 11 countries included in our ‘Future of Travel’ survey said they would fly on a plane in 2021, 51 percent still indicated that the car would be their main mode of transport. Meaning travelers may be more likely to dust off their Michelin guide and begin looking at what sites they can drive to in 2021, versus faraway exotic destinations they favored prior to the pandemic.”
“Revival of the Great American Road Trip” looks at both the historical context that led to the rise and eventual fall of the road trip after the Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 revolutionized the airline industry and made travel by air more accessible. Seventy-two percent of summer travelers are planning to travel by car to their summer getaway according to the “Future of Travel” survey. The pent-up urge to travel combined with the current air travel and border restrictions creates an ideal environment for a road trip resurgence.
“As people search for quick getaways and safe travel options outside of air and hotels, we’ve seen a renaissance in road travel” Cavins said. “The beauty of RV travel is that you’re not restricted by a glowing seatbelt sign in seat 24B. On the road, opportunity is at your fingertips and you can spend time exploring all hidden gems between Point A and Point B that you’d miss from 30,000 feet above.”
Click here to read the entire “Revival of the Great American Road Trip” white paper
Generali Global Assistance has been a provider of travel insurance and other assistance services for nearly 30 years.
