Emily Reeve and her husband often spend Thanksgiving in Hawaii, Florida or Disneyland, but not this 12 months.
“I have a toddler now and I'm worried that the situation may become unstable if we travel after the election,” said Reeve, 32.
The couple has no family near their home in Portland, Oregon, in order that they wish to avoid town for the November holidays. But they are saying they’re staying put this time to avoid being caught at an airport or a well-liked destination “and suddenly be faced with riots, looting, etc. because people in the area are not happy with the election results.” are satisfied.”
Fears in regards to the 2024 vote are causing some consumers to rethink where, when and with whom to travel, industry experts and travel agents say. Federal authorities, meanwhile, say their security measures are solid ahead of Election Day, Nov. 5.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian recently told CNBC that he expects consumers to take “a little pause” within the weeks surrounding the election, because the airline has seen prior to now. “People like to be at home during the election period. They don’t want to be traveling,” he said. “I don’t think they want to spend money until they understand what’s going to happen.”
While the pandemic upended travel through the 2020 vote, so did Delta saw the demand flag within the run-up to the 2016 election, before bookings increased again in the next weeks. United Airlines executives said this month that they expect an analogous pattern and “Don’t think there’s anything to be surprised about.”
Still, 64% of U.S. adults said they’d avoid traveling to the U.S. for fear of unrest, depending on who wins a current survey from travel site The Vacationer. About 1 / 4 said they’d only stay home if Vice President Kamala Harris was elected, while just 16% said they’d only stay home if former President Donald Trump won; 24% said they’d stick to it whatever the end result, and nearly 36% said the end result would don’t have any impact on their plans.
Companies are also on alert, said Kelly Soderlund, spokeswoman for online business travel management company Navan. Domestic flight bookings fell 19% during election week in comparison with the identical week last 12 months. However, bookings for the next week are 42% higher than the previous seven days and 82% higher than the corresponding week a 12 months ago.
“When we talk to customers about their biggest concerns about their travel program, Exercising the duty of care “Employers’ obligation to ensure the safety of their employees is paramount,” Soderlund said.
The 2024 race has has been deeply polarizingwith GOP lawsuits over voting procedures The number is already increasing within the contested states and the Republican ticket at all times secure their comments in regards to the 2020 race and their willingness to just accept the present result. are civil servants Tightening security at polling stations And around each campaignsafter two assassination attempts on Trump and Widespread reports of threats against election staff.
The Transportation Security Administration “remains ever vigilant in this heightened global threat environment,” a spokesperson said, adding that federal air marshals “continue to conduct important onboard security missions” and other duties to make sure the protection of travelers. “We are preparing for all eventualities and deploying multiple layers of security, both visible and invisible.”
Passengers may notice stricter airport security measures in the approaching weeks, said Jeffrey Price, who runs aviation security consultancy Leading Edge Strategies. In addition to more uniformed officers, “there could also be a combination of plainclothes police among the passengers,” he said.
Still, 38% of U.S. adults plan to travel this holiday season, up from 34% last 12 months, in accordance with research firm MMGY Travel Intelligence present in a recent survey. Concerns about higher travel costs have eased, with 61% of travelers fearful about them this season, in comparison with 68% last 12 months. says the consulting firm PwC. According to travel agents, this has caused political unrest to creep more heavily into consumers' travel considerations.
“A few months ago, a lot of families were splurging on their vacation and spending more than they normally would,” said Sonia Bhagwan, owner of Portland-based agency Dreaming of Sun, which has already booked Reeve's Thanksgiving trips. More recently, “the driving factor has been uncertainty about what the economy might look like after the election,” she said.
That's partly why Olivia MacLeod Dwinell, 64, and her husband Ross Dwinell, 74, were in Europe this month.
“Regardless of the outcome, things are going to be a little difficult for a while after the election,” Dwinell said. Their visit to London and France was Ross's first trip abroad, and “the thought that we might be stranded abroad due to domestic unrest was enough to accelerate our plans,” Dwinell said. “We are no longer young and less fearless than we used to be.”
Kimberly Kracun, owner of Destinations by Kimberly in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, said she was recently asked to book a cruise for a multigenerational family. But two members of the group work for the federal government, “and they are worried about their jobs and possible furloughs after the election,” she said. Current government funding only runs until December twentieth there’s a risk of a shutdown if the lame-duck Congress can't negotiate a year-end deal.
“They have now decided to wait another year for the holidays,” Kracun said.
Aside from travel anxiety, some people worry about what might occur after they finally meet their relatives.
Only about 22% of travelers think politics could cause conflict at family gatherings this 12 months. in accordance with a recent survey from tourism market research firm Future Partners. However, that rate rises to about 38% of Generation Z and 29% of Millennial travelers, in comparison with just 11% of Baby Boomers.
Chirag Panchal, founding father of Dallas-based luxury travel agency Ensuite Collection, has a client who typically books Thanksgiving trips with members of the family spread across the country. “But this year it’s different,” he said.
After some tense political conversations throughout the family, the youngsters raised concerns about tensions at holiday gatherings, Panchal said his client told him. So the parents stay in Dallas while their children make separate plans.
“They have canceled going anywhere as a family for now,” he said.
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