Most Americans Staying Close to Home for the Holidays, According to Urgently
Urgently's Annual Holiday Travel Intentions 2020 Survey reveals 80.3% plan to travel 100 miles or less for Thanksgiving, with 54.8% using their own cars for the customary over-the-river, through-the-woods journey.
VIENNA, Va., Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- In a new survey by global mobility and roadside assistance platform Urgently, nearly half of respondents say they have changed their 2020 holiday travel plans due to the pandemic. According to Urgently's Holiday Travel Intentions 2020 Survey, 47% have changed Thanksgiving travel plans, while 43.7% have changed travel plans for the December holidays. Some respondents are still assessing their holiday travel plans: 8.6% have yet to decide on Thanksgiving and 12.1% are undecided about the December holidays.
According to the survey, most Americans plan to stay home or travel close to home for the holidays this year, with 80.3% planning to travel 100 miles or less for Thanksgiving, 42.8% of whom will travel zero miles for the November holiday. Findings are similar for the December holidays, with 77.0% traveling 100 miles or less, 40.4% of whom will remain home entirely.
Holiday Transportation Choices
Among those traveling for the holidays, more than half will use their own cars. Thanksgiving 2020 transportation choices include:
- 54.8% will use their own car
- 5.9% will rent a vehicle
- 3.0% will use an RV
- 2.7% will fly
- 1.3% will use a ride hail service
- 1.2% will travel via railway
Transportation choices for the December holidays are similar to those for Thanksgiving:
- 57.5% will use their own car
- 6.2% will rent a vehicle
- 1.9% will use an RV
- 3.7% will fly
- 2.3% will use a ride hail service
- 1.5% will travel via railway
Length of Stay
More than half of those traveling for the 2020 holidays will be day-tripping only, with 58.2% having no overnight plans for Thanksgiving, and 56.7% opting out of overnight stays for the December holidays.
Home for the Holidays
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is recommending that families celebrate virtually or with members of their own household to lessen the risk of spread this holiday season. It appears many Americans are considering this advice, as nearly half of those surveyed say they plan to celebrate at home with household family members only.
For Thanksgiving:
- 46.5% will celebrate at home with household family members only (no guests)
- 24.4% will celebrate at another family member's home
- 18.6% will celebrate at home with household family members and guests
- 5.0% will celebrate at a friend's home
- 2.2% will celebrate on vacation
For the December holidays:
- 45.9% will celebrate at home with household family members only (no guests):
- 25.2% will celebrate at another family member's home
- 17.1% will celebrate at home with household family members and guests:
- 5.5% will celebrate at a friend's home
- 3.6% will celebrate on vacation
"Like most everything in 2020, we expect holiday travel to be different compared with years past," said Chris Spanos, CEO and co-founder of Urgently. "As a majority of holiday travelers will be on the roads, Urgently will be tracking traffic volumes and mobility data throughout the holiday season to ensure our network is prepared to help stranded motorists get to their celebrations as quickly, painlessly and safely as possible."
About the Survey
Urgently's Holiday Travel Intentions 2020 Survey of 778 U.S. drivers, aged 18 and over, was conducted online on October 30, 2020, to measure travel intentions for this year's Thanksgiving and December holidays.
About Urgently
Urgently, which ranked No. 6 on the 2019 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 fastest-growing tech-forward companies in North America, No. 10 on Financial Times' 2020 FT Ranking of The Americas' Fastest-Growing Companies, and No. 12 on the 2019 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in the US, is the leading Global Mobility and Roadside Assistance Platform sitting at the center of expanding mobility and transportation options for consumers, automotive, logistics and technology companies. Analysts project travel miles to increase by one third globally by 2030, from new services, vehicles and uses. This means more things moving and more things breaking. Urgently delivers help through a seamless, end-to-end digital platform, viewable by every stakeholder in real time. This is why Urgently is the choice of leading global brands trusted by millions of consumers across automotive, insurance, telematics and new technology transportation companies in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. For more information, visit http://www.geturgently.com or contact [email protected].
Media Contact
Eileen Pacheco, For Urgently, 508-254-1440, [email protected]
SOURCE Urgently

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