Summer Travel: DC, VA Among Best For Road Trips Plus Airport Tips

WASHINGTON, DC — The Fourth of July holiday usually kick-starts family vacation travels, but trips away from home will look very different this summer as coronavirus makes many DC area families cautious. Instead of flying or taking a cruise, Americans will take 700 million road trips, accounting for 97 percent of all vacation-related travel, the American Automobile Association estimates.

Although congestion is anticipated to be lower than usual this summer, travelers are still urged to plan ahead and follow coronavirus safety measures.

“Incessant gridlock won’t be a big worry this summer for travelers. Even so, Washington metro area residents embarking on vacations or road trips during the height of summer will probably not encounter ‘normal’ summertime traffic congestion on area freeways and roadways,” said John B. Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs.

“That is the case although personal travel in the United States is nearly back to levels seen before the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, based on INRIX data,” Townsend added. “However, personal travel still lags significantly behind where it was the start of last year’s summer driving season.”

After months of restrictions on movement and gatherings, Gov. Ralph Northam this week allowed all of Virginia to enter phase three of his Forward Virginia reopening plan. The face covering requirement at indoor public places will continue.

Phase three will increase the social gathering limit from 50 to 250 people, or 50 percent capacity of an event space.

Here’s the information you need to know for summer travel in DC and northern Virginia.

The Baltimore and Washington, D.C., metros are ranked among the nation’s bottom-third places for traffic congestion, meaning drivers probably will not run into “normal” traffic congestion while traveling.

Statewide, Virginia traffic congestion is also expected to be in the middle of the pack with less than a 50 percent chance to run into “normal” traffic congestion while traveling.

While air travel has plummeted, there are still some folks who take to the skies. The Transportation Security Administration said airport checkpoints have been modified to help contain the spread of COVID-19 and comply with Centers for Disease Control guidelines.

Throughout the month of June, TSA saw an increase in the number of individuals coming through airport checkpoints and is monitoring the growth closely for staffing and security purposes.

“Passengers will see TSA officers changing gloves after each pat-down and using a fresh swab when checking for explosive material," said Scott T. Johnson, the agency's federal security director for Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport.

“Passengers should be wearing facial protection and practicing social distancing in the checkpoint line,” said Andrea R. Mishoe, TSA’s federal security director for Baltimore/Washington International Airport. “Please note, however, passengers may be required to adjust their masks during the screening process to verify ID or if their mask triggers an alarm.”

Other tips for flying:

• Hold on to your boarding pass. Instead of handing it to a TSA officer, travelers should place their boarding pass (paper or electronic) on the boarding pass reader themselves. After scanning, travelers should hold their boarding pass toward the TSA officer so it can be inspected.
• Separate food for X-ray screening. Put carry-on food items into a bin so it's less likely a TSA officer will need to open the carry-on bag and remove the food for inspection. Pack the food in a clear plastic bag and place that bag into the bin.
• Pack one liquid hand sanitizer container, up to 12 ounces per passenger, in a carry-on bag. Remove the hand sanitizer from your carry-on bag and place it in a bin for screening. Other liquids, gels and aerosols in a carry-on bag are limited to a maximum of 3.4 ounces per item and must fit into a one clear quart-size bag.

AAA estimates air travel will drop by 74 percent this summer compared with last year, and travel by cruise ship and bus is projected to decrease by 86 percent. Meanwhile, road trips are likely to climb by 3.6 percent.

“AAA travel experts have begun to see positive trends in travel, noting that hotel and rental car bookings have been gradually increasing since April,” AAA Mid-Atlantic Manager of Public and Government Affairs Ragina C. Ali said in a statement. “Air travel has been slower to rebound. The share of travelers making plans 48 hours to 7 days before departure — a sign that people are arranging last-minute trips — is significantly higher than normal.”

The good news is while the summer of road trips is in full swing, gas prices are expected to remain near an average of $2.25, down 15 percent from last year.

According to AAA, vacationgoers are trending away from large urban metros, opting instead to visit less-congested regions such as Denver, which rose in popularity from No. 10 last year to No. 1 this year.

The top 10 most popular vacation destinations for summer 2020 are:

1. Denver
2. Las Vegas
3. Los Angeles
4. Seattle
5. Phoenix
6. Portland, OR
7. Myrtle Beach, SC
8. Orlando
9. San Diego
10. Nashville

A survey conducted by Morning Consult for the American Hotel & Lodging Association found that 44 percent of Americans are planning overnight vacation or leisure travel in 2020, with high interest in road trips, family events, and long weekends over the summer months. Sixty-eight percent of those surveyed said they are likely to stay in a hotel in 2020.

Among Americans planning to travel in 2020, 59 percent expect to take their first overnight trip by the end of the summer. Summer road trips will take center stage, with 72 percent planning an overnight vacation via car over the next five months. Of these, 75 percent expect to drive two or more hours.

On their next overnight trip, 43 percent plan to stay with family and friends, and 39 percent plan to stay in a hotel; just 9 percent plan to stay at a short-term rental such as Airbnb or VRBO, and 5 percent in a camper or RV. Nearly eight in ten (78 percent) are planning a trip of four days or less suggesting long-weekend trips will be first vacation travel to return.