In January, when North Dakota's tourism department revealed its tagline for 2020, the coronavirus had barely registered in the U.S. But by summer, the slogan--"Follow your curiosity, not the crowds"--had proved prescient. The avoid-the-crowd trip now has a name, too: the "safe-cation."

Summer travel in the U.S. will fall at least 15 percent compared with last year, with air travel down 74 percent, according to a June report from AAA and IHS Markit. The great American road trip, however, is back in a big way, and businesses in certain domestic tourism hubs are bound for a boost--that is, if they can master the social distancing and cleanliness protocols that have become the hallmark of a "safe-cation."

While socially distant camping, hiking, biking, and family-friendly outdoor excursions are experiencing ballooning popularity--and RV rentals have skyrocketed, too--places like the Berkshires in Massachusetts and the Dakotas are also selling travelers on a "safe-cation": a trip spent mostly in wide-open spaces, with beefed-up cleaning and distancing practices wherever you must encounter other people.

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