Majority Of Americans Are Taking Summer Vacation In The USA, Not Abroad This Year
by Heather Cassell
Americans are traveling again for longer and on a smaller budget this summer, but where are they going on summer vacation?
While other surveys released ahead of the summer travel season showed that nearly half of Americans won’t be traveling this summer, Generali Global Assistance’s Travel Insurance division disagreed citing its findings in its 18th annual survey, “Summer Holiday Plans,” released May 23.
Americans tied this year with the Brazilians (68 percent) as the most likely to travel trailed by the Chinese (67 percent) and Europeans (64 percent), according to the survey.
“After a significant dip in 2016, summer travel has rebounded over the past two years,” said Chris Carnicelli, CEO of Generali Global Assistance, in Wednesday’s news release.
“Summer travel has rebounded nicely over the past two years as an improved labor market, wage growth, and tax cuts have all lead to increased consumer confidence,” Chris added telling Forbes Magazine. “While budgets have remained relatively flat, these positive economic factors have led to an increase in consumers discretionary purchasing power, affording more Americans the ability to take summer vacations this year.”
Summer travel is up in America compared to two years ago the travel global insurance company found in its survey. According to 16,000 consumers from 14 countries, 1,000 of the respondents from the United States, more Americans are packing their bags, 68 percent up from 61 percent in 2016, and heading out for summer vacation.
This was the third year American travelers were included in Generali Global Assistance’s online survey. The survey was conducted by Ipsos on behalf of Europ Assistance and the insurance company between March 29 and April 19, 2018.
American’s Hot Summer Vacation Spots
Americans are packing their bags this summer, but most will be traveling around their own great nation rather than across borders.
American summer vacation plans include taking more time off, 1.5 weeks, but spending less this year. The spend for American’s summer travel budgets declined modestly by one percentage point to $2,643, according to the release.
Nearly half of Americans (46 percent) will book their trip at least four months in advance.
“With budgets remaining relatively flat, unsurprisingly 46 percent of vacationers will stay within the US this year, up five percentage points from 2017,” said Chris.
Americans are looking for beaches and cities as their preferred destinations.
But not everyone is staying home.
“Of the preferred foreign destinations for US travelers, Canada was the top, followed by Mexico – with the Bahamas, Italy, and France locked in a three-way tie for third place,” said Chris.
Paris remains the top destination on Americans, Brazilians, Indian and Chinese wish list. Europeans have New York (25 percent) on their minds, where the Big Apple’s appeal for Americans isn’t as great at 15 percent, Forbes cited the survey.
The report also found that London is on the top of another 19 percent of American’s wish list, versus only 12 percent of Europeans, reported Forbes. The magazine also noted that Europeans (15 percent) vie to visit Rome at least once in their lifetimes, while Americans (10 percent) aren’t necessarily enraptured with The Eternal City, in the study.
Other destinations or big reasons to travel: Sporting events. The 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo was the most attractive sporting event to attend followed by the Super Bowl and the US Open, tennis tournament, according to the release.
How Americans Travel
Beyond money factors, Americans consider location (63 percent), value (57 percent), and online reviews (33 percent, which is an increase from 31 percent in 2017) when deciding where to stay.
Americans still prefer hotels (55 percent) over alternative accommodations, but that slid by two points from 57 percent from last year, according to the survey.
Millennials are leading the charge opting for vacation rentals more than the general population, which is no surprise.
Millennials (59 percent) said they would rent a private house or apartment versus 38 percent of the general population and 37 percent of millennials would rent a room in a private house compared to 20 percent of the general population, according to the survey. The survey also found that 29 percent of millennials would engage in a free home exchange versus 16 percent of the general population.
Let’s just face it, Millennials are a bit more adventurous in their choice of lodging and activities, they are open to trying camping or staying in a cabin in the wilderness, traveling the world, eco-tourism, hosting other travelers or even just staying in a local’s home, reported Forbes. An estimated 83 percent of Millennials try these and other activities versus 67 percent of the general population.
Americans value spending time with their friends and families (48 percent) while getting a change of scenery and learning about different cultures (45 percent) while traveling. Relaxing (39 percent) was the third reason for traveling, the survey found.
A world away from Europeans who put relaxation (54 percent) on the top of their list of reasons to get away.
The survey found that Europeans (66 percent) will unplug from work more than their American (55 percent) counterparts while on vacation.
Socially, only 40 percent of Americans said they would take a break from social media, less than usual. Europeans (56 percent) said they will spend less time on social media while on vacation. However, the Chinese will be the most connected socially while traveling with 31 percent stating they would spend less time on social media.
Americans continue to take risks declining travel insurance (22 percent) compared to Europeans (48 percent). Many American’s believe they are covered by their credit card (36 percent) for trip protection.
However, credit cards might underinsure travelers, Generali warned. Credit cards might not offer enough coverage when it comes to trip cancellation, medical and evacuation coverages, pre-existing medical conditions, limits, and covering other travelers on the same trip.
Health insurance (70 percent) remains one of the major reasons why Americans get trip protection for themselves and their family close to any rental car issues, such as a vehicle breakdown (71 percent) or accident (67 percent). Things are important to Americans, so they also protect the loss of their personal belongings, like luggage (57 percent), according to the survey findings, Chris said.
“Americans should make sure they do their research on the benefits they are receiving when they buy travel insurance as the policy received through their credit card may not be encompassing enough of their needs,” Chris said.
Book your next summer getaway with Girls That Roam Travel. Contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at 415-517-7239 or at .
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