Beach/lake destinations ruled in a new survey tracing the travel habits and preferences of family leisure travelers, says the 2010 Portrait of American Travelers.

 

Beach/lake destinations were selected by fully one-third of all family travelers last year; fully one out of four took a theme park vacation, and one out of ten visited an all-inclusive resort. Other trends:  

• They are equally likely to take both weekend trips (73 percent) of four nights or less including a Saturday, and extended trips (71 percent) of five consecutive nights or more.  

• Seven out of ten took a vacation to celebrate a life event last year (a “Celebration Vacation”), with milestone birthdays and anniversaries topping the list.  

• One out of five is a grandparent, and two-thirds of those who have reached this life stage took at least one vacation with their grandchildren last year.  

• Family travelers are more likely to have taken a vacation in their local area (less than 50 miles from home) as an alternative to vacationing in a destination that would have required traveling a greater distance (aka a “Staycation”).  

• Three out of ten took a “last minute” trip last year, departing an average of just six days after deciding to take the trip;  

• All (99 percent) have access to the Internet at home, and practically all have gone online to get information about travel suppliers (89 percent) and make reservations (87 percent).  

• Fully nine out of ten have a page posted on Facebook, and one out of four has visited a blog to seek or preview information about a vacation destination or travel service supplier.  

• One third are interested in taking a cruise vacation during the next two years;  

• Children play an active role in planning vacations in half of all family travel households;  

• The destinations they are most interested in visiting on vacation include the Neighbor Islands of Hawaii, the national parks, Honolulu and Orlando.  

The survey done with the Ypartnership/Harrison Group says it is the “most comprehensive examination of the travel behavior of Americans with an annual household income of more than US$50,000.”  

By David Wilkening