*Editor’s Note: At the start of summer 2022 vaccination rates were high enough to combat COVID so people could travel safely. I wanted to understand the context around the massive wave of vacationers the travel industry was expecting and why travel was such a priority for so many people.

This is the longest and most thorough article I’ve written. While writing this, I utilized and refined my research skills, journalistic tone and writer’s voice.

Written in AP style

Since the turn of the century, the number of Americans traveling abroad has steadily increased, peaking in 2019 with 99.74 million Americans leaving the country at least once that year. But with the pandemic hitting the US in 2020, international travel dropped by 78%. Since the pandemic receded in 2022 because of vaccination and booster rates, travel has once again picked up, and this year, the number of summer vacationers is expected to hit record-high numbers. According to Hopper, a travel and research agency, airlines are preparing to fly an estimated 2.4 million travelers a day this summer. However, the effects of the pandemic are constantly being analyzed, and the psychological reasons for travel are an interesting consideration when looking at the boom in the travel industry, the number of expected vacationers, and the price of vacation after the devastating blow travel took during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In the most basic forms, there are many reasons why people relocate. Historically, societies of people were nomadic, traveling in search of water, new land for their animals, or to escape the changing seasons. With the rise of the agricultural revolution and into the industrial revolution, the need to move faded from society, with the exception of traders, explorers, and conquerors. But even then, travel became less habitual and more conditional based on the needs of a given expedition. In modern settings, people move for business, leisure, jobs, and family. The interconnectivity of different groups of people means an exchange of knowledge, culture, resources, and language. This has significant benefits for modern society in many ways. Professionally, one study conducted by a variety of psychology professors from all over the world found that “it is [the] psychological approach and engagement with different cultures that determines growth in integrative complexity and tangible increases in professional opportunities.” Basically, the more that someone travels, the higher their efficacy and success in professional settings, especially those involving diverse groups of people. 

On a personal level, travel lets people take a break from their jobs and responsibilities, and refocus their efforts on personal growth and rejuvenation, which, in turn, makes people more effective workers when they return. An article written by WebMD talked to Karen Stein, a sociologist studying culture and travel. “Travel and vacations are a means to reshift and reorganize identities,” she said. “We can use travel as a way to reexamine our priorities and devote our time and attention to identities and commitments that we, unwillingly, have to put in the background in our daily lives.” Humans use leisure vacations as an escape from regular life, and cutting off that coping mechanism through the pandemic left many people struggling to adjust to new routines that severely limited the range of activities they could do. “They may notice a general sense of loneliness…a shift in the way they fit into the world around them. Their identity as an adventurer is on pause due to COVID-19, and it’s felt as a deep loss.” said psychotherapist Lindsey Pratt. 

Another study conducted by Professors Scott Cohen and Julia Hibbert found that “As relationships are forged and found in mobility, travel is no longer an option, rather a necessity for sociality, identity construction, affirmation or alteration.” Simply put, it is the connections we develop on trips that anchor us to a place we visit and broaden our minds. This makes us even more susceptible to the effects of social withdrawal and the way that it hampers our mental cognition and strength. Vacations give people a chance to reset their habits, rest their minds, and refocus energy into shorter-term releases of pleasure. Even though the long-term effects aren’t as noticeable, the connections people build allow for long-term growth.

Humans are social creatures. “We are not special in this way; it is hard to think of any animal for whom the regulation of social behaviour is not important,” said psychiatry Professor Simon Young. “Although we may share some of the broader aspects of our social behaviour with more primitive species, human social behaviour is obviously more complex but no less important for our health and survival. Given the importance of social interactions for humans, it is not surprising that most psychiatric disorders involve some disruption of normal social behaviour, and that in several disorders abnormal social functioning is one of the central symptoms.”

A recent study published by The Lancet Regional Health found that depression rates tripled among adults during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the effects of mental issues were far more severe than before. Not only are humans inherently reliant on social connectivity, but the quality of those connections, and under what circumstances they develop, are key factors in our mental well-being. It is during travel where we find these meaningful connections, and it is when we come back and share our experiences that we develop a larger appreciation for diversity, both of which make us happier as people. “Travel connects people to each other and to the world in a way that screens will never be able to replicate,” said University of Kansas sociology professor Paul Stock. 

According to a Mintel report by Mike Gallinari, a travel and leisure analyst, the travel industry made about $196.48 billion in 2019. After the pandemic hit, the industry had a major setback, making only $77.3 billion in 2020. Since then, the industry has seen a recovery, but as consumer budgets, priorities, and travel needs are still under speculation, the full road to recovery is still unknown. “Commercial air travel’s recovery has begun, boosted by the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The rebound phase will carry into the spring and summer of next year, after which airlines will need to transition into a ‘post-pandemic’ strategy. This next normal will hinge not only on improving the passenger experience but also how airlines treat their employees and the environment.” Gallinari said. It is estimated that pre-pandemic earnings won’t be matched until at least 2023, a 3-year recovery. Given the greater context of the economy as a whole, the estimated recovery time is quicker than in many other industries. However, travel is not a basic human need and thus, the market will not recover as quickly as housing markets, construction, utility services, and healthcare. On the other hand, it helps drive business, leisure, and tourism which is the primary economic force in more than 44 countries. 

This summer, countries that have seen the biggest travel restrictions, particularly those in Europe, are going to experience some of the biggest tourism flows. According to the European Travel Commission, 77% of Europeans have travel plans between April and September, with 56% of these being to another European country. Currently, Spain and other Mediterranean destinations are the most popular. And despite the recent outbreak of war-like conflict in Ukraine, the survey data shows that people aren’t deterred by the controversy. The numbers of people in Europe who want to travel are not only consistent with the numbers from before the pandemic, they’re slightly higher. In the U.S., overall the story is the same. While the majority of Americans who are traveling are staying close to home, data from Allianz Partners, published by Travel Pulse says that “travel to Europe from the U.S. might soar as much as 600 percent from last year” and an estimated 22% are heading to London alone. According to Statista, “in 2019 around four million visits were made to London from overseas for business purposes.” Historically, travel for business has been a major driving force in the travel industry, something that might change soon. 

According to Investopedia, those traveling for business have contributed to as much as 75% of airline profit. However, two different Mintel reports found that this is not the expected norm anymore. The first Mintel report published in September of 2021, found that while “60% of vacationers say that they always bargain hunt, just one quarter feel strongly about this opinion.” The report stated that after the pandemic “nearly half of vacationers [plan] on spending more on vacations and another 31% are open to it.” The second Mintel report, also published in September of 2021, came to the same conclusion. “Flyers are prioritizing convenience and experience way more than they were pre-pandemic when airfare prices were, by far, the key determinant,” the report said. The findings also showed that securing the cheapest airfare was far less of a factor than airline schedules. 

According to Courtney Miller, the managing director of analysis at The Air Current in an interview with CNN, “We’re seeing mass cancelations again, and airlines are reducing schedules. Fares are through the roof, and people like to talk about [the price of] oil but that’s not why. The problem is we have more people wanting to fly than we have seats.” Airlines have also had trouble filling staff vacancies caused by the mass layoffs that occurred during the pandemic. Not only that, but the travel industry is not equipped to be filled once again to maximum capacity. As of right now, capacity remains between 75-95% of 2019 levels. Even with the steep increase in travel levels, for the month of April, TSA reports an average 9.47% decrease per day in the number of people going through security checkpoints between 2019 and 2022. As much as people want to get out and travel, the pandemic is still a consideration for some travelers. 

According to the World Health Organization, “Globally, the number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths has continued to decline since the end of March 2022.” Despite that, the past few months have seen COVID patterns become unpredictable, a fact that doesn’t bode well for the official transition from the COVID-19 virus being labeled a pandemic to an epidemic. According to USA Today, in order for a disease to be classified as an epidemic, it must be predictable and the rate of transmission between people must be determined. The first step in this transition is preventing severe reactions and high death rates from the virus. This has occurred in the US with the vaccines and containment of the Delta and Omnicom variants, but if a new variant emerges this summer, rates are expected to surge once again. In spite of the risks, when the mask mandate on air travel was lifted, it was expected to impact the number of people traveling, but it hasn’t. In fact, the amount of people booking travel has increased. USA Travel reported that about 6 in 10 Americans have at least one vacation planned for this summer. 

While domestic airfare is up 34% from 2019 and prices are expected to continue rising throughout June, demand for domestic travel has increased 50% faster than it did during the first four months of 2019. 65% of travelers are booking domestically, with Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, and L.A. as the most popular locations. Furthermore, both in the U.S. and Europe, international beach destinations are prooving most in demand. The majority of Americans booking international trips have booked short-haul flights to Mexico and Puerto Rico. Expedia also stated that Hawaii had a 30% search increase in preparation for the summer. The consistent stream of tourists toward waterfront destinations does make sense. Many studies have examined the mental and physical effects of beach getaways, and the results are very positive, not just of beaches, but of the effects of vacations overall.

A 2008 New York Times article looked at the long-term effects of vacations on physical health. They found in a group of 12,000 men over 9 years that those who didn’t vacation at least once a year were 32% more likely to have a heart attack. Another long-term study of a group of women found that those who took one vacation or less every six years were eight times more likely to have a heart attack or heart disease of any kind. This could be because of stress. In a study conducted by the American Institute of Stress, 80% of workers feel stress in their job, and “nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress.” The long-term effects of stress can contribute to high blood pressure, heart disease, strokes, decreased immune defenses, and stomach and sleep issues. The Brain and Behavior Research Foundation says that “vacations work to reduce stress by removing people from the activities and environments that they associate with stress and anxiety.” On top of that, high-stress rates can lead to depression and anxiety disorders. People also experience raised dopamine and serotonin levels from the diversity of activities that they do on vacation. For example, activities like swimming and hiking are great forms of exercise, but also expose you to different factors that influence your mental and physical health. Saltwater has many health benefits including helping to clear acne, heal cuts and bruises, and has magnesium in it, which, according to Pure Travel, “has a calming effect on your nervous system, which helps you feel more relaxed.” Water is also blue, a color that some studies have discovered calms us, and makes us feel happier. But it’s not just being in and looking at the water that is helpful to us. Pure Travel continues by saying, “research has shown that the sound of crashing waves can alter the wave patterns in your brain, making you feel calmer.” The sand on beaches also has positive effects on the human body. It is a natural exfoliant that clears skin and is good for our feet, which have between 3,000 and 7,000 nerve endings in them that are stimulated by walking in the sand. Even the sun helps to stimulate our brain and promote healthy bone growth through vitamin D. And once the vacation is over, and people head back to their jobs, the long-term effects of taking a break become apparent. According to Dr. Andrea Robinson for the Psychopharmacology and Substance Abuse newsletter, “a study conducted by the Boston Consulting Group found that professionals who were required to take time off were significantly more productive than those who spent more time working,” she wrote. “When you’re more productive, you’re happier, and when you’re happier, you’re a better worker.” 

On the other hand, with the pandemic forcing thousands of jobs to move to a digital workspace, the number of people who chose to “workcation”, meaning working and vacationing simultaneously, will probably increase. And while that may not be such a good idea when on vacation, while at home, one survey conducted by Owl Labs found that 30% of those surveyed said they were more productive and engaged working at home. Along with that, 23% said they would take a 10% pay cut to work at home permanently. Even with that in mind, after the massive travel restrictions from the pandemic, most people this summer are ready to travel and reconnect with family. “Price is not the main thing to think about when kids haven’t seen grandparents in over two years,” Professor Stock, at the University of Kansas, said. 

Travel is such a big part of a modern lifestyle, that the withdrawal from it has interesting effects on family dynamics. KU sociology Professor Kevin McCannon teaches an undergraduate sociology class called Principals of Family Sociology. During this class, students conduct a semester-long research project in which they interview their families about the shift in family life due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “One of the themes that emerged from two semesters of student interviews (33 total) is the significance of being unable to travel and go on vacations as a family,” Professor McCannon said. “What some of these interviews suggested is that travel, and such, is part of some families’ normal processes and is what helps define normal family life for them.” According to the Tennessee state website for families and children, vacations “provide the backdrop for shared memories between parents and their kids, which cultivates [a] closer family bond.” This theory is evident when looking at recent trends for housing during summer vacations. Hotels.com stated that searches for properties with cribs are up 65%, and demand for VRBOs has gone up 15% since last summer. 

However, the midst of the pandemic told a slightly different story for families. Being close wasn’t necessarily what every family needed during the pandemic. Professor McCannon’s interview results also discovered some family relationships were strained. “While these families reported having to miss out on family vacations and travel, some also reported feeling like they were spending too much time together. Togetherness under the same roof for extended periods of time was a source of stress for some families,” he said. “Travel/vacation is a form of close togetherness that is desirable, whereas being together at home too much was not.” A study published by the American Psychological Association in October 2021 found that “the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with increased strain and commotion within many households, and these changes had implications for multiple family relationships.” 

Given that the pandemic had such a complicated and vast impact on daily life, some might be surprised that afterward, families would seek out opportunities to travel together. But according to Psychology Today, fixing family relationships doesn’t always mean following the same set of steps. One suggestion to help improve these relationships is sharing meaningful memories together and making new ones. A study published in the Journal of Leisure Research found that “at the parent, youth, and family levels, core family leisure satisfaction was most correlated with satisfaction with family life.” Professor McCannon’s results also support this conclusion. “The stress of togetherness usually subsided as time went on and turned into feelings of closeness that improved [family] relationships. This reduced stress is an example of family resilience,” he said. 

Families are definitely on the move once again, but for students at the University of Kansas, this summer marks the first time where they have the time and freedom to travel as young adults. David Marx, who will be a senior at KU next fall, is headed to Israel for his Birthright trip. 

“I have a feeling a lot of people will be traveling this summer, especially with the rules and regulations on the pandemic being a lot more lenient than last summer,” he said. 

Natalie Lindsey, a film and communications major at KU has a similar perspective. “I think that COVID made us really just not want to miss out on things, we do take some things for granted. So I think that a lot of people will be traveling, or at least changing their scenery in some way, shape, or form.”

For Hannah Straub, who will be a junior in the fall, summer break gives her the opportunity to develop connections with people and have unique experiences. “I think it’s important to be able to travel during the summer because it’s hard to find time otherwise to see people,” she said. 

John Redmond, an aerospace engineering student, agrees. “Travel is definitely important as we spend so much time stuck on campus focused on our school work, that we need time to relax and enjoy life before we’re stuck in a typical nine-to-five type jobs,” he said.

At the end of the day, the world will be adjusting to the effects of the pandemic for a long time, and industries everywhere will need to change to meet the new demands of consumers. But for travelers, business and leisure alike, the jump back into travel reflects a basic psychological need to move around. From nomadic societies to the great conquers of the age of exploration, modern travel reflects the human instinct to learn, interact with others and develop lifelong memories that promote healthy relationships. And that is why, in general, while airline tickets and gas prices soar, the human need for social interaction and movement, is of more importance. Humans have been challenged and our relationships have been strained. But we will recover, and the evidence backs this up. The pandemic may be coming to a close, but the world is just opening back up. So by plane, train or car, for the first time in nearly two years, people are on the move and they don’t care how much it costs, because there are things they value more than money. Perhaps Redmond put it best. “That is what summer is for, to enjoy life, have fun, and make memories.”