(Lebanon, NH – April 27, 2020) Travelers grounded due to the pandemic are willing to take several measures many would have once found objectionable to reduce the risk of a renewed spread of coronavirus as a condition of restarting travel.  

“Many travelers are planning to hit the road again this summer and they are willing to share personal medical history and travel plans to help keep themselves and those around them safe,” said Global Rescue CEO Dan Richards.

Global Rescue, a leading travel risk and crisis response provider, conducted a survey of its members who revealed a range of support for a variety of precautionary measures if it meant a return to leisure and business trips domestically and internationally.

Safety Measure Tolerance

  • 91% are willing to subject themselves to screening and testing
  • 73% are willing to disclose medical conditions related to a compromised immune system
  • 93% are willing to share their past 14-day travel history
  • 58% are willing to have their physical location tracked and traced with data temporarily retained

Travel Expectations

The survey uncovered high expectations among most travelers to begin making trips again no later than early fall.

  • 77% are expecting to make a trip by the end of October
  • 41% expect to make their next trip by July or earlier
  • 36% are planning their initial trip sometime between August and October
  • Less than 9% believe their earliest post-pandemic trip will be during the holiday months of November and December
  • Less than 7% expect to make their first trip sometime between January and March 2021
  • 7% predict their next trip won’t be until sometime after April 2021

Respondents, who are among the most experienced travelers in the world, revealed their first travel itineraries will be domestic ventures by a two-to-one margin over international excursions. Nearly 75% of initial trips will be family vacations, leisure trips to visit friends, or destination getaways. Fewer than 10% expect their first trips to be for business only while 15% report their initial travel plans will be for both business and pleasure.

More than 42% of respondents reported they were forced to cancel their travel plans, 16% said they voluntarily abandoned trips, while 27% postponed their trips. Nearly 60% of respondents who canceled or postponed travel expect to book another trip as soon as they feel safe. Thirteen percent report they will reserve another trip to take advantage of travel discounts and deals. Less than 1.5% plan to spend their money on other things unrelated to travel.

About Global Rescue Survey

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. The survey is based on 1,300 responses collected from Global Rescue members on April 23-24, 2020. 

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last decade. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.