Despite rising gas prices and inflation, U.S. road trips have risen above pre-pandemic levels according to Arrivalist, the leading location intelligence platform in the travel industry. As spring break travel nears, for the first time in its two-year history, the 28-day rolling average of Arrivalist's Daily Travel Index peaked above 2019 levels.



"We built the Daily Travel Index to help the industry track the pulse of travel's return," says Arrivalist founder and CEO Cree Lawson. "We created the product for a momentous day like today. Is this a tipping point? Can travel hold out? Time and spring break will tell."

As of Tuesday, March 16, road trip activity was up 0.4 percent above the 28-day rolling average. Overnight stays, a metric Arrivalist recently added, were up 1.4 percent.

"In spite of everything going on the world, the increase in road trips and overnight stays indicate the pent-up demand for travel," said Lawson. "This is a bellwether for hotels and vacation rentals."