Unscientific Survey: Travel Plans
Disruptions to vacation travel certainly aren’t the most momentous or profound changes wrought by the pandemic, but they’re one of the more insidious ways our sense of normalcy has been chipped away at. We are lucky enough to live in a town (a phrase that I seem to be uttering more and more) where, at least according to our latest survey, 100% of the people usually go away on vacation in the summer. This year, that’s down to 64% (with 8% still not sure).
The length and destination of our trips have been affected as well. Normally, 16% of respondents leave the country; this year, not surprisingly, the number has dropped to 0. Still, people are venturing out of the region, with nearly two-thirds heading to New England or U.S. points even farther afield.
And while in a normal year, 64% of respondents go away for two weeks or longer, this year two-thirds of those leaving town will be gone for a week or less.
Some readers’ comments:
All of our immediate family members live out of state, so we have restricted our vacations to just seeing and staying with family this year. We are TRYING to hold back on making plans as far out as next year, but will either plan a week-long US rental or stay in western Europe for just our nuclear family next year if things clear up.
Planning a trip away for next summer. Gonna stay safe and chill at home this year.
We have cancelled plans to travel to New England and Florida, with no sense of when we might reschedule.
My wife, Vicki, is a teacher at the Westtown school and normally has a two-week spring break. So we often travel overseas during her spring break. Unfortunately, our trip to Ireland, landing appropriately on 3/17, was cancelled at the last minute. During the summer I have an annual trip to visit dear friends in Friendship, Maine. It’s always Father’s Day weekend. That too was cancelled this year. Another trip, while not specifically planned but most likely to have happened, would have been a weekend trip to visit family or friends in the Berkshires, the Adirondacks or Rehoboth Beach. All cancelled. —Andy Shelter
We had to cancel our planned trip to South Korea to see our new granddaughter who was born in November 2019. We managed three nights on Cape Cod. Hard with social distancing.
I have only been willing to go by car to my own vacation house in Vermont and to visit my kids who are both holed up near Boston during the pandemic. Can’t imagine stepping on a plane or into a hotel for a very long time. And travel is my favorite thing! — Jan Ambrose
It was all set to be The Summer of Andys Getting Married. Nephew Andy was to be married in Maine in June, and godson Andy in Oxford, UK, in August. A third wedding was on tap for October in Chincoteague, Virginia. None of them is happening as planned. As luck would have it, we arrived home from visiting my husband’s elderly mother in a retirement community in Florida on March 16. A safe return and a safe visit with her are out of the question for some time to come, so we are very glad we got to see her. Sticking close to home is the name of the game for us. If we get really adventurous, we might drive to Audubon to our favorite ice cream parlor! — Carol Williamson
Going Somewhere?
Are you among the 64% of our community members who say they are planning to travel out of town this summer? If so, send us a picture and a few lines about where you are (editor@swarthmorean.com). We’ll publish them as the summer comes to a close. (Photos and brief descriptions of interesting local adventures are welcome, too.)
