Holiday travel expected to drop amid pandemic

MONTEREY, Calif. (KION)

While the Thanksgiving holiday fast approaches, many people say they are opting out of traveling to celebrate the holiday due to COVID-19 concerns.

On Sunday, tourist Riibia Ali took her family to the Wharf in Monterey, saying she wanted to avoid possible crowding over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend.

Ali says there will be no large gathering for her family this holiday season.

“We actually don’t have much planned, I think people are a little bit paranoid, I know I am, with large crowds and being around a lot of people, you never know what’s going on," says Ali.

A report from AAA Northern California shows an anticipated 10 percent drop in travel nation wide.

Nicola Balmain, CEO of Nanda Journeys travel agency says she expects that number to go even lower.

“There definitely is an uptick in people traveling compared to previous months, but still the majority of people, over half, are deciding to stay home and not travel this year," says Balmain.

For those who are still traveling for the holidays, Balmain warns changes and protocols may be a challenge to the traditional process, including check in and check outs at the airports.

“The TSA are advising people that they’re being hit with staffing levels, so they may actually have a longer wait time, you won’t have food on the plane so you should definitely plan ahead if you have a longer journey," says Balmain.

Balmain explains protocols may change from state to state and urges travelers to maintain safety protocols and do some research while planning their travels.

More details and travel tips can be found at:

https://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/6Ak7CR6DGOFmQQYiqcT6k?domain=tsa.gov