海角大神

As COVID-19 wanes, Americans are ready for fun. Booking it is the problem.

Julia Righetti needs a vacation from planning her vacation.

Last summer, she had planned to visit Brazil, where she was born, with her husband and two young sons. But as the COVID-19 pandemic hit, upending all aspects of American life, their trip 鈥� along with the vacation plans of millions of Americans 鈥� was canceled. Their flights were rebooked for this summer, but as the date got nearer, Brazil鈥檚 ongoing challenges with the pandemic led them to postpone once more.听

Instead, they booked a house for a week in Cape Charles, Virginia, a two-hour drive from where they live in Richmond. But then the homeowners canceled the reservation because they had sold the house, taking advantage of a booming housing market.听

鈥淲e started looking for a place again 鈥� and there was nothing anywhere,鈥� says Ms. Righetti, a school photographer. 鈥淲e just wanted a house with a pool, and we couldn鈥檛 find anything.鈥澛�

As COVID-19 case counts recede dramatically in the United States, Americans鈥� fear of the disease has聽. And after spending the past year essentially housebound, many are eager for a break.听But the newfound yearning to travel is presenting its own challenges: Hotels and home rentals are booked solid, the cost of flights has skyrocketed, and rental cars can鈥檛 be found.

With states and localities ending mask mandates and capacity restrictions, the pandemic鈥檚 end stage is reordering supply and demand once again, with tourist destinations that not long ago were ghost towns suddenly facing an onslaught of visitors. Indeed, now that it finally seems safe to go on vacation, many Americans are wondering if they鈥檒l actually be able to 鈥� given that everyone else is trying to, as well.

AirDNA, a site that analyzes data from home rental sites such as Airbnb and Vrbo, says reservations made during March 2021 reached an all-time high. Bookings on Vrbo聽have , with the site seeing the best-ever start to a year in the U.S. Travelers are 75% more likely to book at least a seven-night stay, says Vrbo, as opposed to the typical three-night getaway.听

Rental car prices are up %, with some beach destinations like Hawaii and Florida seeing a 50% increase. The shortage of rental cars in Hawaii has been so acute that some vacationers have resorted .听

Some of the high flight and car prices are due to pandemic-induced contractions: Airlines decreased the number of routes and car rental companies sold fleets to compensate for the dramatic dip in travelers.听

鈥淎nd now, demand went from 0 to 60,鈥� says Mike Dominguez, president of Associated Luxury Hotels International and a member of the U.S. Travel Association鈥檚 board of directors.

Another factor, Mr. Dominguez says, is that Americans are mostly not traveling abroad 鈥� with the pandemic still raging in many other countries that would otherwise be luring vacationers. 鈥淥ne of the reasons that everything is so compressed right now is that international destinations that would relieve some of this pressure are closed off to us.鈥澛�

Vaccinated Americans may be permitted聽 by midsummer. But many are still hesitant to travel far from home, choosing to聽 and prioritizing outdoor adventures where it is easier to practice social distancing. With national parks expecting to聽, some 鈥� such as Yosemite 鈥� are .听

Prior to 2020, luxury travel adviser Hutton Beckcom was used to booking high-end summer vacations for her clients on the Mediterranean Sea. This year, her clients have been mostly opting for simple beach getaways.

鈥淲e鈥檝e all had to become Florida Keys experts,鈥� she says of herself and other luxury travel advisers. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not a destination that I was ever booking prior to the pandemic.鈥�

Luray Caverns, a popular destination that鈥檚 a short drive from Washington, D.C., closed for three months in 2020 鈥� the first time the cave had shut its doors since it was discovered in 1878. But now, visitors are up 9% from this point in 2019.

鈥淭here is difficulty booking flights and accommodations, and from the research we鈥檝e seen people would rather travel by car and stay close to home,鈥澛爏ays John Shaffer,聽the caverns鈥� director of public relations. 鈥淲e are checking a lot of boxes of what people are looking for.鈥�

After Ms. Righetti鈥檚 rental in Cape Charles was canceled, she eventually booked a trip for her family in Costa Rica. But she held off on securing flights, hoping that prices might come down. So far, unfortunately not.听

鈥淲e thought they were going to get better 鈥� but they just keep getting worse,鈥� she says.听