The Majority of Americans Plan to Travel in 2022

Traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic is still a divisive topic for some Americans. In the post-vaccine era, some Americans are making travel plans, while others continue playing it safe. Regardless of where they stand on travel, over half of Americans (62%) agree they would feel more comfortable traveling if certain COVID-19 precautions were in place, according to a new NerdWallet survey conducted online by The Harris Poll.

In the survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, we asked Americans how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting travel plans. Even with some discomfort around traveling, Americans plan to take two leisure trips, on average, in the next 12 months.

​​Key findings

• Exposure to COVID-19 impacted travel plans in 2021: Of Americans who had plans to travel in 2021 and either they or someone in their household tested positive for COVID-19 or was exposed to it, two-thirds (66%) say their travel plans were impacted by the exposure.
• The majority of Americans have plans to travel in the next 12 months: Seven in 10 Americans (70%) plan to take a leisure trip in the next 12 months. Nearly half of Americans (47%) are planning to take two or more leisure trips within that time frame.
• Many are saving points and miles for travel: Nearly one quarter of Americans who have a travel rewards credit card (23%) are saving points or miles to pay for a luxurious or special occasion trip; 17% are saving them to pay for an international trip; and 16% are saving them because they want to visit a destination not currently accepting tourists due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Many Americans would feel more comfortable traveling with COVID-19 safety precautions in place: A little over 3 in 5 Americans (62%) say they would feel more comfortable traveling right now if precautions such as these were in place: hotels were sanitized between guests (38%); airplanes were sanitized between flights (37%); hotel staff were required to be vaccinated (30%); airline employees were required to be vaccinated (29%); or rapid tests were widely available (28%).
• The coronavirus is still a reason why some avoid travel: About half of Americans who don’t plan on traveling for leisure in the next 12 months (51%) say their reasons are COVID-related.

COVID-19 exposure disrupted some travel plans in 2021

Of Americans who had travel plans in 2021 and they or someone in their household tested positive for COVID-19 or was exposed to it, two-thirds (66%) say their travel plans were impacted by the exposure. While some Americans had to extend their stays at destinations to quarantine, others had to cancel their trips.