Americans Learned Their Lesson and Are Going to Actually Use Vacation Days, Expedia Survey Says

No surprise here, new data shows that everyone is desperate for a vacation in 2021.

According to Expedia's 2021 Vacation Deprivation study, 64% of Americans defined themselves as "vacation deprived," a 3% increase from last year and an 11% increase from five years ago.

It makes sense. Last year, 42% of survey respondents were forced to cancel at least one trip due to the pandemic and 47% used their vacation days not for trips but to take cyare of family members instead.

And the old saying that "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone'' seems to hold true for travel as about 82% of respondents say that they value vacation now more than ever and plan to take an extra week of vacation this year.

Father and mother helping kids to pack suitcase

"The longer the pandemic, the larger the vacation bucket list and the greater the yearning to travel," Shiv Singh, senior vice president and general manager of Brand Expedia, said in a statement shared with Travel + Leisure.

Although 36% of respondents said they plan to resume their regular vacation schedule this year, many more are planning to commit more time and money towards their trips once they're back on the road.

According to the survey, 32% of respondents plan to take more vacations in 2021 to make up for lost time during the pandemic and 61% of respondents are willing to put more budget behind their bucket list trips this year.

Expedia says it is already seeing the effect of this pent-up wanderlust, with an uptick in people searching for warm weather escapes for March and April. Some of the most popular travel searches on the site include destinations where Americans are currently able to travel like Mexico's Riviera Maya and Cancun. Popular domestic travel searches include Las Vegas and Orlando.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) still recommend that Americans avoid all nonessential travel at this time.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.

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