International travel may be largely off the table right now, but that hasn’t stopped travelers around the world from planning big domestic vacations, according to a new American Express survey shared with Travel + Leisure.
In the UK, 69 percent of residents surveyed plan to travel domestically within the next three months and a total of 47 percent of Mexican residents, 45 percent of Japanese, and 40 percent of Americans are planning for the same.
Conversely, a large majority of people are sticking within their borders with only 12 percent of Americans surveyed planning to leave the country. That’s in line with travel restrictions as there are only a few countries that welcome Americans and even fewer that don’t have conditions in place.
“While many are uncertain about when their next trip will be, the magic of travel is still very much something our customers are interested in with travel playing an integral role in their lifestyle,” President of American Express Travel, Audrey Hendley, told T+L. “For those interested in traveling right now, this is the summer of last-minute getaways.”
While they may be forced to stick closer to home, the survey found travelers aren’t skimping on domestic vacations. In Japan, 57 percent of people plan to spend over $1,400 on travel in the next month. In the UK, 36 percent plan to spend over $1,050, and in the U.S., 34 percent plan to spend more than $800.
Those who are traveling are largely hitting the road, opting for a car trip over getting on a plane, according to the survey. Sixty-three percent of those surveyed from six different countries plan to take a road trip in the next three months, while only 30 percent expect to fly somewhere.
Even less — 10 percent — anticipate getting on a cruise ship. While cruises have started to sail in Germany and Taiwan again, in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has extended its “No-Sail Order” for ships that can carry at least 250 passengers until October.
The survey was conducted online from June 26 to July 7 among 1,000 people who said they took a trip by air at least once in the past 12 months in Mexico, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Australia, and from June 23 to June 25 in the U.S. among 2,000 people who flew at least once in 2019.
