TAMPA, Fla — Are you planning to take a summer vacation?
According to AAA, only a third of Floridians plan to travel this time of year. That's about half as many as last year.
Because of coronavirus, many families just canceled their trips altogether and at this point are not sure when or if they'll reschedule.
One big reason is flying can be a bit intimidating since it's difficult to socially distance in the air. Most of those who are deciding to travel are doing it by car.
Travel expert Jeanenne Tornatore says many people are craving a vacation.
"We're starting to see this pent up demand for travel that people have had now for months being at home."
You don't have to fly to some fancy destination to take care of that itch. Most Floridians choosing to travel are driving and staying within 300 miles of home.
"More people are kind of staying away from these big cities that have been epicenters and they're looking to what outdoor destinations they can go to where it's just more natural, easy social distanced there."
RV rentals are also a popular choice as people can go places where they can easily socially distance and not have to use public restrooms. No matter where you go, Tornatore says do your homework to make sure the things you want to do are actually open.
"Because it varies so much, locale to locale, across the country, what stage these destinations are in when it comes to reopening."
If you are looking at traveling in a few months or even next year, one benefit to booking now is that most hotels, cruise lines and even airlines have pretty flexible cancellation policies.
Also, since things change so quickly with this virus, you may want to consider getting a travel agent who can keep you up to date on anything that might be canceled or closed, then help you reschedule.
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