Photo byEmmy Gaddy onUnsplash
While the COVID pandemic has turned our world upside-down and created a "new normal" for many of us, some silver linings have emerged from the crisis. In this month's blog, the team at Tony's Brake & Alignment in Louisville, KY, wants to highlight one of these silver linings: Why American families take more advantage of 3-day weekends and road trips during the pandemic.
The COVID era has changed the way we work, and we socialize, learn, and communicate. Social distancing, the caution around being face-to-face and in-person with others, has moved many people toward video conferencing options. Video conference calls allow people to work from home, attend online classes, and socialize with friends, right from home's comfort. While many of us predicted that these work-from-home solutions would be temporary, we have discovered that working from home is now considered a permanent option. Many companies and schools have realized that it is less expensive to have people work from their homes than pay high rent or mortgages on commercial buildings.
Because more people are working from home, their kids are better able to attend school from home. We realize that not every household was prepared in the early COVID months to handle work life, school life, and family life all under one roof. However, we have managed to navigate these unchartered waters pretty well, considering the strong desire to remain healthy and safe from the virus.
This circumstance leads to the blending of days throughout the week. Mondays can feel like Wednesdays, and Saturdays can feel like Tuesdays, all because the sheltering in place reduced the average person's ability to define the workweek. Some of us are working around the clock, seven days a week. Others don't have any work, so daily schedules look more like a retiree's schedule. Just ask any retiree what day of the week it is, and they may not know because their schedule isn't dependent upon specific weekdays or weekends.
This leads us to our original point of why American families take more advantage of 3-day weekends and road trips during the pandemic. Because of the workweek and the school weeks being more fluid and flexible, families are discovering that they have the freedom to take 3-day weekend road trips. To this point, here are some examples of why more American families are extending their weekends and taking more road trips than before:
People are tired of sheltering in place, and they want to get outside. We see more people get in their vehicles and drive to the lake, campgrounds, and enjoy the great outdoors.
Drive-in movie theaters are a hot commodity due to social distancing requirements.
RV sales have increased since the onset of 2020, and RV rentals shot up 1000% since 2019.
More people invest in bicycles, skateboards, kayaks, boats, trailers, and other outdoor recreational equipment.
Fewer people are traveling via airplanes or cruise ships. More people are traveling by car, truck, SUV, RV, and van.
Many popular campgrounds and beaches around the country limit access, which means more people are traveling to lakes, rivers, and streams that are not overcrowded with people.
Road trips have always been an American summer past-time, but in the COVID era, road trips are critical for many families' mental health and well-being.
The team at Tony's Brake & Alignment in Louisville has personally become aware of all these silver linings. We see a record number of car owners come to our auto repair shop for pre-road trip inspections because they don't want to risk breaking down and calling on a tow truck. More boat trailers and RVs are coming to our shop for repair and service. When we go down to the lake, we have noticed how packed the parking lot is with cars, trucks, and people. We see it, and we choose to believe that these changes allow more families to embrace flexible schedules.
If you and your family are planning a road trip anytime between now and the end of the year, we strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment for a pre-trip safety inspection. We don't ever want our clients to face the challenges of being broken down and needing to call a tow truck. What is worse about that situation during the COVID-era is that many tow truck drivers cannot give you or your passengers a ride in the tow truck because of social distancing restrictions. Plus, not many auto repair shops are open during the weekend. So, we advise that you prepare ahead of your trip, so you don't run the risk of ruining your 3-day getaway. If, however, any mechanical failure were to happen to your vehicle after we performed the safety inspection, you can feel confident that our nationwide warranty would protect you, regardless of where you are driving in the United States. That is why we invite you to choose Tony's Brake & Alignment for your pre-road trip inspection.
We like to think of Tony's Brake & Alignment in Louisville as an exceptional find and take great pride in our high level of experience and expertise. Our outstanding team of auto mechanics and customer service advisors can put themselves in our customers' shoes, so we know that our clients are receiving incredible quality, professionalism, and the honesty that they deserve. Schedule an appointment to inspect and repair your steering & suspension and for other auto repair services. Tony's Brake & Alignment is located at 4800 Poplar Level Road, Louisville, KY, 40213.