A Trio of Domestic Travel Announcements
Three recent news releases and updates point to the rising tide of optimism around future domestic travel prospects. Travel demand continues to pick up currently, but this summer looks to be when a larger majority of domestic travelers will be open to reuniting with their inner exploring nature. While some destinations have already welcomed the return of vacationers and residents of certain states have ventured beyond their own borders, national and state level news in recent days have expanded the pool of considered destinations and willing travelers.
CDC Guidance for Vaccinated Travelers
As a growing percentage of the US population have received their full vaccination for COVID-19, many have awaited guidance from the CDC on what, if any, modified behaviors this group could adopt. On April 2, the CDC updated their guidance, issuing a statement that fully vaccinated people can travel with low personal risk and would not require any testing or post-travel self-quarantine measures provided their local government authorities do not require it. Not only does this provide relief to vaccinated travelers, it also removes some friction in the process of traveling that may have prevented someone considering a future trip.
New York State Drops Testing and Quarantine Requirements
A day before the CDC announcement, New York State Department of Health revised their guidance for travelers arriving into the state. Any domestic traveler, whether a resident of New York returning to their home or a visitor from another state, is no longer required to test or quarantine upon arrival. The NY DOH still recommends testing and/or quarantined for domestic travelers, providing exceptions for those fully vaccinated or having recently recovered from COVID-19. While this opens the state of New York to inbound domestic travelers, it also provides more freedom to NY residents to explore the United States – and many are eyeing Memorial Day and this Summer to return to travel.
California Aims to Lift Restrictions June 15
Provided the continued downward trends for cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the State of California along with the increase in vaccinated residents, a recent announcement from the CA Department of Public Health revealed the plan to remove restrictions on June 15, 2021. A mask requirement will still be in place, but businesses, restaurants, movie theaters, museums and other facilities would then be open to operate at 100% capacity with limited public health restrictions. Californians would then be enticed to resume their own exploration of their state and potentially look forward to inviting in other domestic travelers as well.
Our Recommendation: Book Early – Cancel if you need to!
We can’t overstate this recommendation in a more urgent way. Reserve your rental car now! If Spring Break and the recent Easter Holiday weekend taught us and travelers alike anything, it was that booking early during this time of travel demand recovery is key to securing the best possible price and even ensuring you have a rental car at all.
