Americans Placing More Value on Vacation This Year

Expedia has released its annual Vacation Deprivation study, and this year’s research has yielded some surprising results.

Americans are not planning on leaving any vacation days behind in 2021. In fact, the study found that travelers plan to take an extra week (five days) of vacation. This points to a shift from Americans leaving days on the table to not taking their vacation days for granted this year.

The survey found that many Americans are optimistic about travel in 2021. Thirty-six percent are planning to resume taking regular vacations this year, according to Expedia. Another one-third (32 percent) said that they are going to take more vacations than usual to make up for lost time in 2020.

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In 2020, the U.S. reported the fewest number of vacation days taken of the 16 countries included in the survey, and feelings of vacation deprivation were higher last year than other years due in large part to the pandemic.

Sixty-four percent of U.S. respondents reported that they felt “vacation deprived,” a three percent increase from 2020 and an 11 percent increase compared to five years ago.

In addition to taking the fewest vacation days in 2020, Americans also received the fewest days off when compared to other countries. There are also long stretches between vacations for Americans. One in four (26 percent) U.S. respondents said that they had not taken a vacation in more than a year, compared to 16 percent in 2019.

Americans often don’t use their vacation days for an actual vacation. According to the Expedia survey, 47 percent used at least one vacation day in 2020 to care for a sick family member or in lieu of childcare.

The pandemic canceled many people’s travels last year. Research found that 42 percent of those surveyed reported canceling one or more trips last year due to COVID-19.

However, the pandemic has changed the way Americans plan to vacation this year with many determined not to leave vacation days on the table. The Vacation Deprivation study found that Americans plan to take 13 vacation days this year, up from just eight days in 2020.

It also appears that Americans are willing to spend more on travel. According to the results of the research, 61 percent of U.S. travelers plan to put more budget into their bucket list this year.

Quality time with loved ones is also an important factor in travel this year. Sixty-four percent of respondents said that they find vacation time more valuable when spending quality time with family. Fifty-four percent indicated that they think having the time to relax and do nothing is what makes them happiest on vacation.

Expedia has reported an uptick in travelers searching for their next trip. The top searched destinations include Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Mexico; Las Vegas; Orlando; Puerto Vallarta, Riviera Nayarit, Los Cabos, Mexico; Miami; Oahu and Maui.

Trending destinations for the spring, from Expedia’s 2021 Trends Report, show that Americans are looking for outdoorsy, small towns or off the beaten path.

These destinations include North Georgia Mountains; the Hamptons; Front Royal, Virginia; Southwest Colorado; Hagerstown, Maryland; Upper Peninsula, Michigan; South Shore, Massachusetts; Boone, North Carolina; Lake Placid, New York; and Dahlonega, Georgia.