Wisconsinites Discovering New Ways to Travel

Saturday, August 21st, 2021 -- 10:00 AM

(WMTV) As the summer of 2021 starts slipping away and restrictions are easing, Wisconsinites are once again catching the travel bug.

Relaxing beaches, fancy hotels, all-inclusive resorts. These are some of the typical vacation options. But when covid-19 disrupted normalcy, it also changed the way many people travel, with some choosing experiences over amenities.

The pandemic shut down international travel in 2020, forcing professional travelers to explore their home state with fresh worldly eyes and new knowledge of the growing trend of experiential travel.

The goal of experiential travel is to fully immerse yourself in a location. Eating where the locals eat, staying at an Airbnb or in a tent in the woods instead of a hotel. It’s about doing, rather than relaxing.

The Acting Secretary for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism Anne Sayers said the state saw a 20 percent drop in visitors in 2020 compared to 2019. Sayers said she saw a renewed interest in road trips with people taking advantage of the opportunities to experience the state from the comfort of their own cars.

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