6 in 10 Americans Say Vacation Important

May 18, 2011

More than six in 10 (61%) Americans say taking a vacation away from where they live this year is important, according to results of an April-May 2011 USA Today/Gallup poll. This includes 36% who say a vacation is very important and 25% who say it is somewhat important.

Gas Prices Don’t Greatly Affect Summer Travel Plans

Twenty-nine percent of Americans say they will “travel less” this summer, about the same as said that last year at this time (27%), despite the spike in the price of gas. A similar percentage (20%) as last year (18%) also say they will travel more, with a small but notable year-over-year drop in the percentage saying they will travel the same (37% in 2010, 32% in 2011).

Percentage Expecting to Spend More Rises Dramatically

Seventy-one percent of Americans who will be traveling this summer predict they will spend more on transportation. This is 82% more than the 39% who said they would spend more on transportation last May, when Gallup data indicates the average price of gas in the US was about $2.80 per gallon.

Vacations Much Less Important for Those 65 and Older

For many people, vacations are an opportunity to get away from work, which Gallup says helps explain why Americans 65 years of age and older give much lower importance ratings to vacations away from home than do those younger than 65. Only 39% of the oldest Americans say taking a vacation this year is very or somewhat important, 85% less than the 72% of 18-29-year-olds. This percentage is still 50% less than the next-lowest-percentage, 68%, among 50-64-year-olds.

TripAdvisor: More Plan Summer Trips

Eighty-six percent of travelers are planning leisure trips this summer; up almost 4% from 83% who said they traveled last summer, according to data from TripAdvisor. While most Americans appear committed to taking vacations this summer, they are conscious of gas prices as 39% said the rising cost of fuel is affecting their summer travel plans. Eighteen percent of respondents expect to take fewer trips by car, 12% intend to take shorter driving trips and five percent are not planning to travel at all this summer, as a result of rising fuel prices.

As a result of the rising gas prices, 24% of travelers said the maximum distance they are willing to drive for a leisure trip this summer is 200 miles. However, if it meant significant savings on airfare costs, 21% would be willing to spend 10 hours or more driving to a destination this summer.

About the Data: Results for this USA Today/Gallup poll are based on telephone interviews conducted April 30-May 1, 2011, on the Gallup Daily tracking survey, with a random sample of 1,019 adults, aged 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.