Families are on the road and traveling at the same rates as they were before the global COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report by the Family Travel Association (FTA).

The report, discussed at the Skift Global Forum last month, showed family travel demand is back to pre-COVID-19 levels, with families prioritizing the need for cleanliness, clear communication, and flexibility in this new normal world of travel.

Lynn Minnaert, associate professor of tourism at New York University, who gathers data for the FTA and other organizations, discussed what’s different and what’s the same for families traveling today.

Travel Habits That Haven’t Changed

The study found that domestic travel is still by far the largest segment of family travel. Families are still largely choosing to visit family and friends, going to beaches, visiting state and national parks, and going to water and amusement parks. Cost of travel is still the primary concern of families, who prefer to stay in hotels.

Travel Habits That Have Changed

There are also several post-pandemic considerations families take when traveling, Minnaert said.

First, museums and cultural attractions, events, and cruises are down significantly. Second, there’s massive interest in vacation rentals brought on by the pandemic. Minnaert noted that to some extent that demand has come at the expense of motels. Third, cancellation policies are very important — more than 50 percent of families surveyed said they pay more attention to those now, and 80 percent said they won’t book any travel that doesn’t have flexible cancellation and refund policies. Finally, travel advisors are more popular now. Sixty-five percent of respondents said they would be interested in booking travel with an advisor in the next two years.

Vaccinated Vs. Unvaccinated Family Travelers

Unvaccinated families aren’t a fan of so-called “vaccine passports,” in which some businesses and governments require people to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination before entering the business or country. These families also aren’t deterred from visiting places with low vaccination rates — on the contrary, they’ll often seek out places with looser COVID-19 restrictions. They’re also much more likely to visit theme and water parks.

Vaccinated families, on the other hand, are much more likely to report lasting concerns about international and cruise travel.

“While they’re vaccinated, they still have more of a fear barrier compared to unvaccinated families,” Minnaert said.

Grading the Travel Sector

The survey asked families to evaluate the travel sector on how well it was meeting their needs. During the shutdown, families gave a grade of C+, but the travel sector gets a B- today.

When that’s broken down by sector, travel advisors and vacation advisors lead in first place, followed by online booking platforms, restaurants, hotels and tour operations. Third place goes to car rental companies and airlines, and last place goes to cruise companies.