Arrivals + Departures: Year in Review 2020
Year in Review
We’ve always read that adversity spurs innovation, and as cliché as it sounds, this year proved that to be true. As a small team, our main focus has always been keeping up with demand and building an exceptional traveler experience, but this unique year gave us the opportunity to think bigger.
Though our year was full of number crunching, checking in on our small business partners, and perpetually checking travel restrictions in each of our destination cities, we are proud of the new products we launched, and the skills we developed.
We could not have survived without the work of every member of our team and all your support this year.
Cheers to 2021!
The Pack Up + Go Team
COVID-19 Changes
It is impossible to talk about travel in 2020 without talking about COVID-19. Throughout the year, we have implemented several new practices:
Adding a “Safe Travels” guide to each trip envelope
Sending an email to reconfirm travelers still feel comfortable traveling before finalizing their reservations
Waiving change fee for travelers to change their travel dates or postpone their trip
Ensuring recommended businesses, hotels, and small business partners are employing COVID-19 safety practices
Notifying travelers if any new restrictions in their destination will significantly impact their trip.
Sending travelers on Staycations and Outdoors getaways!
where we traveled
2020 Trip Types:
Plane Or Train Trip: 55%
Road Trip: 27%
Pack Up + Go Outdoors: 12%
Staycation: 6%
In 2020, travelers really wanted to hit the road and explore by car!
Pack Up + Go Road Trip bookings increased by 200%
Our travelers
Traveler Stats:
Average # of Travelers per trip: 2
Median Age: 36
Most Common Age: 31
Oldest Traveler: 78
Youngest Traveler: 1
Multi-Traveler Trips: 93%
Solo Traveler Trips: 7%
Top Traveler Interests:
Hole-in-the-Wall Restaurants: 53%
Parks + Gardens: 51%
Historical Sites: 51%
Cafes + Coffee Shops: 48%
Live Music: 43%
Hiking: 43%
Bakeries + Desserts: 41%
% of travelers who selected this interest
new trip types
Staycations:
Before this year, Pack Up + Go had only offered Plane/Train Trips and Road Trips. In early March, our team banded together to launch this new trip type in one day to adapt to changing traveler interests due to COVID-19.
The Pack Up + Go Staycation invites travelers to experience their local cities in a brand-new way. Staycations are an opportunity for travelers to hit those bucket list items that they haven't gotten the chance to see yet, visit the newest restaurants that they've been wanting to try, and explore those off-the-beaten-path activities that will help make them feel like a tourist in their own city!
Longer Trips:
Upgrading our booking platform allowed us to grow, streamline or processes, and deliver a better traveler experience. It was a herculean effort for our small team to migrate to a new system, but we were able to tackle this project at the beginning of the shutdown, when there were no trips to plan.
In addition to many new features, our new technology allowed us to answer one of the most frequently asked questions over the years: can trips be longer than 2 nights?
Our new booking platform makes booking longer trips a breeze!
Pack Up + Go Outdoors:
As we emerged from the spring lockdown, many travelers asked if we could plan trips to remote destinations, if they could stay in a cabin, or use their Pack Up + Go trip to spend time outdoors. For the past 4.5 years, our trips had focused exclusively on urban destinations, but we dove in head-first and launched another new trip type this year: Pack Up + Go Outdoors.
We didn’t expect how quickly they would take off, but it was so exciting to discover new possibilities for travelers for Outdoors Trips. They opened our eyes to so many incredible new destinations, accommodations, and ways of thinking about what is possible for us in the future.