American Travelers Surpassed an Important COVID Milestone -- But It's Not All Good News

There's much less worry about contracting COVID, and more confidence in being able to travel safely.

The travel industry hasn't been the same since the COVID-19 pandemic began, but there are promising signs that it's getting back to normal. The percentage of American travelers unconcerned about contracting COVID recently surpassed the percentage who are concerned about contracting it, according to Destination Analysts.

That's mostly a positive sign, but travelers shouldn't throw caution to the wind, either. Here's what recent studies say on how travelers feel about COVID and why you should still account for it in your travel plans.

American travelers surpassed a COVID milestone

In its The State of the American Traveler study fielded in October 2022, Destination Analyst asked respondents how concerned they were about personally contracting COVID. It found that:

• 41.8% were unconcerned
• 38.4% were concerned

What makes this notable is that it was the first time since the start of the pandemic that the percentage of unconcerned travelers exceeded the number of concerned travelers. It's also a massive difference from March 2020, when nearly 80% of travelers were concerned and less than 20% were unconcerned.

In that same study, the majority of travelers (60.4%) reported feeling confident or very confident in their ability to travel safely in the current environment. Only 9.3% said they felt not very confident or not at all confident.

The data suggests that COVID is becoming far less of a concern for Americans. It's still a deterrent for some travelers, but it's no longer the deterrent. It's one of many, along with other concerns like travel costs and not having enough time off work.

COVID can still throw a wrench in your travel plans

On the one hand, it's great that COVID is becoming less of a worry for travelers. After three years (I can't believe it either) of this pandemic, most of us are more than ready to get back to normal.

However, like it or not, we still have to live with COVID. And that means when you travel, you should prepare for what you'll do if you contract COVID on your trip.

I realize it's not anybody's favorite part of travel planning. But as someone who got COVID while traveling and had to spend a lot of extra money as a result, I'd highly recommend planning ahead. It's a whole lot easier to figure out a contingency plan while you're healthy at home than when you have zero energy in an unfamiliar environment.

If you contract COVID while traveling, you'll most likely need to extend your stay at your hotel or vacation rental. You'll also need to change your return dates, and possibly even get medical attention. These can all be inconvenient and costly. Here's what you can do to prepare:

• Purchase travel insurance that includes COVID-related issues. This could cover costs you incur, such as changing travel plans and getting medical treatment if necessary.
• Or, pay for your trip with a credit card that has complimentary travel insurance. Many popular travel credit cards offer this benefit. Make sure to check with the card issuer to confirm this insurance covers you if you contract COVID.
• Have an emergency fund. It's always wise to have an emergency fund with enough money to cover at least three to six months of living expenses. This can also come in handy when you're traveling, in case you have any unforeseen emergency expenses.

It's also a good idea to bring masks and COVID tests with you when you travel. That way, if you start feeling sick, you don't need to run to the nearest pharmacy to get supplies. You can test yourself and mask up if you need to go anywhere.

Hopefully your trips go smoothly and you don't need to put any of these plans into practice. But in a worst-case scenario, it's better to be prepared.