by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:20 PM ET, Wed July 20, 2022
A new study found that Americans are claiming their paid vacation days and making time to travel a priority.
According to Allianz Partners USA's 14th Annual Vacation Confidence Index, a majority of respondents have taken a vacation in the last year, proving that Americans have never been as steadfast about the importance of taking an annual holiday.
The survey revealed that 57 percent of Americans have taken a vacation of at least a week to a destination 100 miles or more away from home in the last year, an increase of 44 percent over the previous year.
The 2022 Vacation Confidence Index marks the highest percentage of Americans who reported traveling in the last year since 2009, when the survey was first conducted. Of the respondents who traveled in the previous 12 months, 22 percent hit the road in the three months leading up to the study, with the 18-34-year-old demographic 29 percent leading the trend.
"Our latest Vacation Confidence Index proves that taking an annual vacation has never been more important to Americans, and we're seeing record levels of confidence that they'll travel between now and the end of the year," Allianz director of external communications Daniel Durazo said.
"Instead of banking those PTO days, Americans are viewing their vacation time as a much-needed getaway to support their mental health," Durazo continued.
Allianz's survey also found that 74 percent of Americans consider an annual vacation important, a huge leap from 60 percent in 2019 and one percent higher than last year. Another 65 percent expressed positive intentions to vacation, up two percent from last year and a stunning 13 percent over the highest prior year surveyed (52 percent in 2014).
In addition, 43 percent of Americans have not taken a vacation in a year or more, down 13 percent from last year. Older Americans ages 55+ are demonstrating more hesitancy (55 percent) than their younger counterparts (41 percent for ages 35-54 and 31 percent for ages 18-34).
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