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COVID-19 changing travel trends for 2021

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OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — With a large portion of the population still waiting for a vaccine, the CDC is advising against traveling for spring break and it seems many people are planning to take that advice.

According to the U.S. travel association, only 12% of Americans are planning to travel in the coming weeks.

For a brief escape from the frigid weather of the midwest, many in Omaha will travel to warmer locations in the winter and spring. But this year, concerns about restrictions and safety are keeping people home.

As many await a vaccine, the U.S. Travel Association is expecting peak months for travel to instead be from June to October.

Travel agent Tracy Waugh said if people are traveling, they're doing it more domestically to ensure they can get back home.

"In January, when new travel requirements to return to the U.S. came out and you had to test negative coming back to the U.S., almost all of that canceled," said Waugh.

People are instead heading to Florida or national parks.

As destinations and timing change because of COVID-19, so is pricing, but probably not in the way you'd expect.

"Once they get the pricing or the quotes on that, they're expecting it to be low because of COVID. But because that's where people are choosing to go, it’s not as low as what they're expecting it to be," said Waugh.

While some people will be venturing out this year, Waugh said she's not expecting numbers to return to normal until 2022.

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