While airlines, cruise companies and destinations are reporting surges in reservations and domestic air traffic is picking up sharply, a new Harris Poll suggests that many Americans are not so sure about hitting the road to other countries.
The poll of about 2,100 adults taken just over a week ago, found that 55% of American say they aren’t ready to consider international travel, and 58% of that 55% told the poll they aren’t sure if or when they will be ready.
Harris Poll chief John Gerzema offered some background to the findings: 67% of Americans say the worst of the pandemic is over, compared with 33% who said that three months ago. But it appears that worry over new variants, and over whether the pandemic is under control in destination countries is keeping potential travelers cautious.
Perhaps surprisingly, half of those who said they would not consider international travel had been fully vaccinated, but only 38% of those who said they would consider a trip now have been vaccinated.
I am not really surprised by the findings of this poll. I have looked into booking something (from the UK) for June and have been taken aback by how much conflicting information and general uncertainty about rules and regulations there is out there. Tour operators claim that they will assist with requirements for tests and documentation – but when it comes down to it, it’s you, the passenger, who bears the responsibility for it all (and often you need to make all the arrangements yourself, anyway). Still, I have not given up yet!