Some making travel plans post-vaccination

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SOUTH BEND, Ind.-- Traveling and vacationing hasn’t quite been the same since the coronavirus hit in March.

“We saw some for the Christmas and new year holidays. We’re now seeing that go back down which it normally does in January, and so it’s following the trend, but in a much lower number,” South Bend International Airport CEO and Executive Director Mike Daigle said.

Especially for this year’s “wave season,” which is usually a huge booking time through January to early February.

“It’s just a great time for people to book because your companies are already running sales, you know everyone is running a sale right now for wave season,” Rejuvia Travel Consultant Teri Gordon said. “2019 phones rang off the hook. So, we’re hoping to get back to that we think it may be 22 before we get back to that volume.”

However, with spring break and summer inching closer and closer, travel agencies are seeing business slowly starting to pick up.

“It’s not as fast as it’s been in the past, but it’s picking up every day. People are looking. They’re just anxious to go somewhere,” Gordon said.

President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday new plans to help distribute the coronavirus vaccine more quickly and efficiently, saying around 200 million doses are in the makes to he administered in the us by the summer. This announcement, bringing folks to start planning in advance for a warm, tropical getaway.

“I had an inquiry yesterday. They were saying as soon as we can get our vaccine we’ll be ready to go and we’ve seen a lot more! The phones have been ringing more,” Gordon said. “People are thinking okay even if I plan ahead I can plan for spring break, I can plan for summer, I can plan for the fall or even 2022 we can book out into...people are thinking let me just something on the books so I got something to look forward to.”

As more vaccines become available, traveling is expecting to continue to start looking a little more normal.

“We expect that as spring time rolls around there will be more of the vaccine that’s going out, there will be more people that have been inoculated. We believe travel will continue to increase through that springtime season,” Daigle said.

“I think as people get vaccinated or as they go through different scenarios with the coronavirus and they see the numbers drop that kind of thing, they’re going to be getting a little more comfortable,” Gordon said.

Travel officials recommend anyone who wants to travel but may be a bit hesitant, to give an agency a call to help ease any stress and decide whether or not flying is a good option for you.

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