Sure, your quaranteam — that is, the people in your quarantine bubble — got you through the darkest days of the pandemic, but a new survey shows Americans now want to put some distance between them and it.
A non-scientific poll of 2,000 Americans say that as the pandemic begins easing, 68% say they want to hit the road sans team. In the Northeast, that number jumps to 70%.
While millions of people are flying again, many are still hesitant to get onboard a plane, so the road trip is back in a huge way, says the survey sponsored by Priceline. Nine in 10 Americans have taken at least one road trip in the last year, and 75% say they’ve already taken more than four.
Seventy percent said being stuck indoors made them nostalgic for their road trips back in the day. Three in 10 say they want to get behind the wheel to visit family and friends they couldn’t see in the height of the pandemic.
Nearly half of the respondents said they consider road trips to be the “safest” escape as the pandemic shows signs of finally easing. That said, 43% of respondents said they’re choosing the fastest route to their destination to limit their exposure to others, and nearly a third say they plan to skip rest stations altogether.
One in five respondents said they’re looking for a destination with outdoor activities, while 59% say they want to see a new city.
Nineteen percent said they’re hitting the road to get a change of scenery; 80% of Generation Z respondents said they wanted to “escape” from their residence.
Sixty-four percent want to go “off the grid,” in these days of remote work and Zoom everything, with Gen Zers most commonly looking for an unplugged option.