Uniglobe: Group Trips May Be Down, But Travel Still Popular Among Area Residents
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WHEELING -- With travel restrictions becoming a common occurrence as the omicron variant of COVID-19 asserts its hold, a representative from a local travel agency said people aren't traveling less, but they are traveling smarter.
Jennifer Merryman, a manager at Uniglobe Ohio Valley Travel, said the agency has seen a dramatic shift away from group travel, as people have begun taking more of an interest in smaller trips, flocking to cabins and other individual package vacations.
"We've definitely gone more off group travel and more toward individual packages. People are wanting things where they can be by themselves -- anything from national parks, or a cabin, or just the beach, they want more of the individual, 'Where can I be spaced?' deal," Merryman said.
What Merryman said travel agencies were especially strong in providing was coordination between travelers and the vendors. By keeping on top of restrictions and rules put in place for visitors to various locations, she said, customers are able to let the travel agencies worry about the minutiae.
"We've actually seen people wanting to use a travel agent more, just because we keep up with vendors, tour companies, and cruises, what their rules are," she said. "One day it might be, you need to be vaccinated, the next day they changed it to needing a test 72 hours before, then changed to 48 hours before.
"Our biggest challenge has been keeping up with the rules and regulations of the tour vendors or their destinations. We've seen more people wanting to use agents, because we have our knowledge, we do our research, so instead of you spending hours on the internet on six websites telling you six different things, people are enjoying calling us, where it's a one-stop shop of our expertise."
In addition to trips to beach houses and remote cabins, Merryman said the most popular vacation choices are all-inclusive packages, particularly Disney's resorts.
"All-inclusives and Disney are probably our best sellers at the moment," she said. "It is crowded, but Disney has handled the pandemic, from the start, very well with rules regarding masks. You don't have to be vaccinated, but they do require masks anywhere indoors. They've done well with their lines and not all of their theater events are open, and it's in the U.S.
"All-inclusives have been our next best seller. If you have a passport, people tend to be OK with getting tested prior to going and staying in one location."
Cruise ships, Merryman added, were a less popular travel option, as ships stopping at numerous ports of call made for a less appealing option for travelers.
"Cruises have started back up, they've limited their capacity, you need to be vaccinated, but it's harder because you're hitting two to seven ports of call," she said. "Whereas Disney and all-inclusives are just in one place."
For those looking to book a vacation in the coming year, Merryman advised travelers to start looking early. As the travel forecast shifts in response to changes in the COVID pandemic, being able to react to changes in advance is a valuable option to have.
"Booking early is our best recommendation," she said. "A lot of people have had that built-up demand for one or two years now, and what we've seen is that last minute travel is not as cheap or available as it was in the past. That way, too, if rules change, you have time to adapt to that."
Most critical, Merryman added, was travel insurance. While insurance doesn't cover cancellations over exposure to or concerns over the coronavirus, it does cover trips scuttled due to illness, which includes COVID.
"If you get COVID, two days before your trip, and you spent two, three, $5,000 on your trip, you're not out that. Insurance would pay you that back."