Shell Offers to Take the Ride as Local Escapes Lead 2020 Travel Plans
HOUSTON — As Labor Day approaches, Shell Oil Co. is encouraging Americans to safely venture out on their own "StateEscape" — a safe road trip vacation born out of the desire to get away while not venturing too far from home.
Shell launched a variety of travel resources for those consumers planning to embark on a "StateEscape" with services such as road trip planning materials, an interactive map, Spotify playlists, safety tips and more. These resources can be found here.
"As Americans are looking outside their hometown and turning toward road trips, Shell is truly everywhere that drivers are, helping them make the most of their stops," said Shannon Bryan, manager of Brand and Communications for Shell Retail US. "We have created touchpoints to share road trip tips and tricks to help fuel safe StateEscape road trip vacations. Throughout the late summer and fall, we will continue to inspire travelers with weekly social media surprise and delights, ideas for planning a StateEscape, and more."
According to a recent survey conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Shell, amid canceled or postponed travel plans, consumers have a pent-up demand for a StateEscape vacation. Two-thirds of Americans (67 percent) say that staying home due to the COVID-19 outbreak has made them want to take a vacation, and 61 percent say they are now more interested in taking a local road trip to explore areas close to home.
The survey, which was conducted from July 23-27 among 2,039 adults, also found:
Pent-up desire to get out
Two-thirds of respondents (66 percent) say they would go on a spontaneous road trip and 36 percent say they are more likely to take a road trip now than they were prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Flexibility to work on-the-go
Sixty-one percent agree that working or attending classes virtually means they can vacation or travel without having to take time off work or school. Nearly half (47 percent) are willing to work while on a road trip as a passenger.
Enjoying what's local
Americans enjoy road trips because it lets them listen to music (73 percent), stop where they want to and explore local sites (55 percent), and catch up with other passengers (49 percent).
Not the summer of "staycation"
The "staycation" trend gained prominence during the last recession, but during the COVID-19 outbreak, Americans are looking for a way to get out of their home and ease their stress. Sixty-nine percent say that a road trip could help them escape the stresses of COVID-19 and the majority (86 percent) feel traveling by a personal car is much safer than an airplane, train or bus.
Vacation travel during COVID-19
Nearly three-quarters of Americans (73 percent) recently cancelled or postponed travel plans, and 69 percent haven't traveled for vacation at all. For those who ventured out: 22 percent traveled by car/personal vehicle; 8 percent traveled by plan; and 6 percent traveled by train or bus.
Houston-based Shell Oil is an affiliate of Royal Dutch Shell plc, a global group of energy and petrochemical companies with operations in more than 70 countries. In the United States, Shell operates more than 13,000 Shell-branded stations across 50 states.