Survey Finds Americans Want to Take More Local and Shorter Escapes During Summer
Americans hoping to take more vacations this summer; Only about 1 out of 3 employed Americans took all their PTO last year
ResortPass released the results of a survey conducted on their behalf by The Harris Poll, revealing changes in how Americans view their summer travel habits and leisure behavior. The survey found that 72% of Americans say they often wish they had more memorable summer outings once the season is over, likely in part because Americans only took 1.6 vacations, on average, last summer, while 70% of employed Americans (defined as those employed full-time) say that unless they're taking a trip, they just stay at home during PTO in the summer.
However, there are several ways Americans may shift their behavior, including taking more vacations – 56% more, on average, than in 2023 – and making time for more frequent, shorter trips – 67% of Americans agree that taking more shorter trips is more restful than taking fewer, longer vacations and 85% of employed Americans say they feel recharged after taking only one day off of work. By fitting in more local escapes, Americans are nearly three times more likely to travel locally (within 100 miles) than internationally this summer (49% vs. 18%).
“Consumers are realizing that if they rely only on long vacations for rest and relaxation, they won't make the most of their PTO and will be missing out on both the recharge and memorable experiences they can fit in by taking more regular brief escapes,” said Michael Wolf, Chief Executive Officer at ResortPass. “Local getaways and daycations are becoming the new norm, and that's why the idea of day-guesting – using the hotel amenities without having to book an overnight stay – fits right into this trend.”
Full Survey Findings
Time Off
- On average, Americans took 1.6 vacations last summer, but ideally Americans would like to take an average of 2.5 summer vacations
- 70% of employed Americans typically hang out at home when they have time off during the summer and don't have any trips planned
- Only 36% of employed Americans say they took all their paid time off from work last year
- 67% of Americans say taking more short vacations would be more restful than taking fewer longer vacations
- 85% of employed Americans say they feel recharged after taking a day off of work
- 83% of Americans say you can make better use of hotel amenities when you take vacations on dates when most people are not off work
Leisure
- Americans are nearly 3 times more likely to travel locally (within 100 miles) this summer than internationally (49% vs 18%)
- A majority of Americans may look back on the summer with regret, with 72% saying they “often wish they had more memorable summer outings once the season is over”
- 51% of Americans say food tastes better poolside; 59% of Gen Z (ages 18-27) and millennials (ages 28-43) combined say this
- The top food Americans say is their favorite to eat poolside is ice cream (26%), followed by burgers (23%), pizza (19%) and chips & guacamole (18%); Salad was only 7%.
- Americans spent 7 days, on average, poolside last summer; 31% spent NO days poolside last summer.
Survey Methodology
The ResortPass Summer Survey was conducted by The Harris Poll from May 10-14, 2024 among 2,094 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 895 are employed full-time. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.
Categories: Trends