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A recent study conducted by AARP Travel revealed that only 15 percent of Americans age 45 and up who travel for leisure have taken a romantic getaway within the past two years.
Nonetheless, those romantic travelers considered the trips valuable in terms of reconnecting and enjoying time with their signifant other, with 98 percent of those travelers claiming they enjoyed their trip and 95 percent saying they would do it again within a year.
"Valentine's Day is a perfect opportunity for couples to reinvigorate their relationship with a romantic getaway," said AARP Love and Relationships Ambassador Dr. Pepper Schwartz.
"Getting away for just a weekend to dine out, learn something new, or relax on a beach can help foster a stronger bond in a relationship."
As far as what defines a romantic getaway, more than half of the 45+ Americans surveyed (52 percent) said romantic travel is about traveling with a signifcant other, while 30 percent specified being alone with their spouse.
Sixteen percent singled out fine dining and 13 percent noted the experience of luxury accommodations.
"Our research found that if money were no object, couples would ideally take as many as four romantic getaways every year," said Stephanie Miles, Vice President, Member Value, AARP. "Couples appreciate the time to disconnect from the world and reconnect with each other, but find that day-to-day commitments and lack of resources make it difficult to get away."
Other intriguing findings from AARP's research were that 72 percent of domestic romantic travelers drove to their destination and that a majority chose a destination more than 100 miles away from their home.
A majority of those who did travel abroad (63 percent) visited the Caribbean or South America. Europe (30 percent) and Mexico (22 percent) were the next most popular international destinations.
What's more, the survey found that most romantic trips typically last less than a week and cost $2,353 on average, with most of that money going toward accommodations.
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