While 2020 was awful, Americans apparently tried something new to keep their minds off of things: according to a new survey, 79% of people who usually travel to beat the blues turned to a new hobby during the pandemic.
The non-scientific poll commissioned by Exodus Travels revealed that 82% made “a conscious effort in 2020 to do things that make them happy” in an effort to keep their spirits up.
It apparently worked: 64% of those who said they have hobbies were about twice as likely to identify as “very happy” than those who twiddled their thumbs in lockdown.
Of those who already had hobbies, 77% tried out new ones — four of them, on average — during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey also revealed that 78% of respondents say they’re happiest when they’re traveling. And until they can travel freely, 49% are reading about travel, watching travel shows (45%) and checking out hotels for a future trip (44%).
And while 70% said not being able to travel during the pandemic “took a toll on their happiness,” 57% said they’re feeling hopeful about being able to do so in 2021.
Most interesting is what these travelers were willing to give up if they could just take the perfect trip tomorrow: 34% said they’d give up Netflix — and 18%, or almost a fifth of those 2,000 respondents said they’d give up sex for a perfect trip right now.