Why a vacation in a flyover country is suddenly cool this summer:
Another contributing factor to the flyover country boom is that most Americans are not actually flying to their summer escapes. The American Automobile Association is predicting that a record-breaking 43.6 million Americans will travel by car over the July 4th holiday weekend, up 5% from the previous record set in 2019, as travel volumes recover to pre-pandemic levels this summer.The middle of the country—like Millersburg, Ohio —is now top of mind.
Even so, most road trips are not long cross-country hauls but rather one-tank getaways, adds Kwong. “Many visitors to the top spots in the region are Midwesterners themselves. Over 50% of Vrbo travelers to the Midwest live within 250 miles of their destination.” One big advantage of aiming for the center of the country is that it’s still not too late to book a summer getaway. “The key is to be flexible,” says Kwong, who advises anyone seeking a last-minute stay in the most popular Vrbo destinations to tweak their travel dates to uncover more options.
“With the surge of travel happening this summer, our recommendation would be to try to be flexible when searching for where and when to travel,” echoes Powell. To help travelers find more options, Airbnb just launched a number of new features that unearth additional availability by slightly widening the filters for destination, budget and travel dates.
This year, thinking outside the box means looking toward the inside of the country. “Vrbo vacation homes in Southeast and Northeast beaches have been booked up earlier this year,” says Kwong, “so families are having better luck locking in a vacation home in the Midwest instead of taking a traditional beach trip.