What Will Summer Travel Look Like This Year? Think Local
BOSTON (CBS) – Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to the summer travel season, but this year it will look a bit different. CBS travel editor Peter Greenberg said people can expect to see some changes as we still fight the coronavirus pandemic.
"We are dealing with a combination of comfort zone fear and practicality. When travel does return, it'll be within 300 miles of where you live. It will be short one-tank trips or day trips. RV sales are gonna spike, RV rentals are gonna spike. We're going rediscover our country, our national parks, or even more importantly, less-crowded state parks. We will skip the interstates and go down two-lane county roads and literally rediscover America. That's what going to happen before the end of this year, whether we like or it not. I actually kind of like it. I'd like to rediscover America right now," Greenberg said.
For most purposes, Greenberg said, international travel won't be on the list. One hundred percent of countries have travel restrictions.
"Here is the thing that's really astounding - 72% of them have closed - there's no air space. There's nobody flying in or out. And that's not going to open anytime soon. The earliest I hear is September, and some countries in Europe are even talking November, December. For all intents and purposes there'll be flights and they'll be very limited, and you'll get there then a mandatory 14-day quarantine, which limits your ability to do anything. So, let's think 2021."
And a summer cruise is unlikely as well. There is a CDC no-sail order until the end of July, and Greenberg said it might be extended because cruise ships are all about large social gatherings in confined spaces.
"If you want to see a cruise ship by end of the year, you're better of watching a rerun off The Love Boat," he said.
