Emily Reeve and her husband usually spend Thanksgiving in Hawaii, Florida or Disneyland, but not this year.
“I now have a toddler and I’m concerned that if we travel after the election, things might get unstable,” said Reeve, 32.
The couple doesn’t have family near their home in Portland, Oregon, so they like to get out of town during the November holidays. But they said they would stay put this time to avoid being arrested at airports or popular destinations “and suddenly facing riots or looting, etc., because people in the area are unhappy with the election results.”
Industry experts and travel agents say anxiety surrounding the 2024 vote is prompting some consumers to rethink where, when and with whom they travel. Meanwhile, federal authorities say their security procedures are robust ahead of Election Day on Nov. 5.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian recently told CNBC that he expects consumers to “pause a little bit” in the weeks surrounding the election, as the airline has seen in the past. “People like to stay home during elections. They don’t want to travel,” he said. “I don’t think they want to spend the money until they understand what’s going to happen.”
While the pandemic disrupts travel during the 2020 voting period, Delta Air Lines see demand flag In the run-up to the 2016 vote, bookings rebounded in the weeks that followed. United Airlines executives said this month that they Looking forward to a similar pattern and “Don’t think there’s anything to be surprised about.”
Still, 64% of U.S. adults said they would avoid traveling to the U.S. due to concerns about unrest, depending on who wins. a recent opinion poll Provided by travel website Vacationer. About a quarter said they would stay home only if Vice President Kamala Harris was elected, while only 16% said they would delay if former President Donald Trump won; Twenty-four percent said they would stay put regardless of the outcome, and nearly 36% said the outcome would not affect their plans.
Kelly Soderlund, a spokesperson for Navan, an online business travel management company, said companies are also on alert. In the week of the election, its domestic flight bookings fell 19% compared with the same period last year. However, bookings for the following week were 42% higher than the previous seven days and 82% higher than the same period last year.
“When we talk to our customers about their top concerns about their travel plans, management duty of care — the employer’s obligation to keep employees safe — ranked near the top,” Soderlund said.
The competition in 2024 is Already severely polarizedRepublicans sue over voting procedures Already entered the battlefield state and republican votes Repeated hedging their remarks About the 2020 competition and their willingness to accept the current results. officials are Strengthening security at polling places and around these two activitiesafter two assassination attempts against Trump Widespread reports of threats to poll workers.
The Transportation Security Administration “remains vigilant in an environment of heightened global threats,” a spokesman said, adding that federal air marshals “continue to perform critical flight safety missions” and other duties to ensure the safety of travelers. “We are prepared for all contingencies and employ multiple layers of security, both visible and invisible.”
Jeffrey Price, who runs aviation security consultancy Leading Edge Strategies, said passengers may notice tighter security at airports in the coming weeks. In addition to more uniformed police officers, “there may be plainclothes law enforcement officers among the passengers,” he said.
Even so, research firm MMGY Travel Intelligence says 38% of U.S. adults plan to travel this holiday season, up from 34% last year In a recent survey it was found. Concerns about rising travel costs have subsided, with 61% of travelers worried about travel costs this quarter, compared with 68% last year. According to consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers. Travel agents say this gives more room for political tensions to seep into consumers’ travel considerations.
“A few months ago, many families were splurging on vacations and spending more than usual,” said Sonia Bhagwan, owner of Portland travel agency Dreaming of Sun, who had previously booked Reeve’s Gratitude Festival travel. Lately, “the driver has been uncertainty about the state of the economy after the election,” she said.
That’s part of the reason Olivia MacLeod Dwinell, 64, and her husband Ross Dwinell, 74, traveled to Europe this month.
“Whatever the outcome, there’s going to be a little bit of instability for a period of time after the election,” Devinell said. Their visits to London and France were Rose’s first overseas trip, and “the thought that we might be stranded overseas because of civil unrest , is enough to accelerate our plans,” Devinell said. “We are no longer young and we are not as brave as we used to be.”
Kimberly Kracun, owner of Destinations by Kimberly in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, said she was recently contacted about booking a cruise for a multi-generational family. But two members of the group work for the federal government and “were worried about their jobs and potential furloughs after the election,” she said. Current government funding only runs until December 20, and Threat of closure looms If lame duck Congress can’t hammer out a year-end deal.
“They’ve decided now to wait another year for the holidays,” Clarkon said.
In addition to worrying about travel, some people are worried about what will happen when they finally see their loved ones.
Only about 22% of travelers expect politics to trigger conflicts during family gatherings this year. According to a recent survey Developed by travel market research firm Future Partners. But the share of Gen Z and Millennial travelers rose to around 38%, compared to just 11% for Baby Boomers.
Chirag Panchal, founder of Ensuite Collection, a luxury travel agency in Dallas, has one of his clients who typically books a Thanksgiving trip with family members spread across the country. “But this year is different,” he said.
Panchal said his client told him the children expressed concerns about friction at the holiday party after some tense political conversations within the family. So the parents stayed in Dallas while their children made separate plans.
For now, “they have canceled plans to go anywhere as a family,” he said.
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