Three-quarters of Americans plan to take a road trip at some point in 2017.
According to the 2017 Road Trip Survey commissioned by the GM BuyPower Card, 74.2 percent of U.S. travelers plan to take a road trip by the end of the year, with most eyeing a summer getaway.
More than half of the 1,300 licensed drivers polled consider summer weekends to be the best time for a road trip.
Destinations
One-quarter of Americans will road trip to a U.S. national park this year while one in five will take a journey across the country. Just over 18 percent will visit a beach or lake.
California (15.4 percent), Alaska (8.26 percent) and Florida (7.73 percent) are the most popular road trip destinations among the 50 states, proving that travelers are looking to the West and the coast this summer.
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Expenses
The top road trip expenses for Americans are hotels (49.3 percent) and gas (33.1 percent), according to the 2017 Road Trip Survey.
Food is another leading expense: Nearly 39 percent want to feast on local favorites, 28.5 percent prefer fast food and 11 percent would rather have diner food.
Americans prefer chips, fruits, vegetables and beef jerky when it's time to stop for a snack.
Roughly four in 10 travelers spent at least $500 on their most recent road trip while more than 17 percent spent in excess of $1,000. Almost half of Americans (47.6 percent) fund their road trip with a credit card, according to the survey.
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Vehicle, Passenger Preferences
More than four out of 10 Americans prefer an SUV for a long road trip but nearly 4 percent would rather take their trip in a sports car. No matter what they're driving, travelers put legroom (50.5 percent) and a quality sound system (45 percent) above all when it comes to the most important vehicle features.
Most road trippers (57.6 percent) also say they are willing to spend more than 20 hours in a car with their significant other. However, parents, siblings and celebrities aren't so popular. Only 4.2 percent would prefer to be joined by either of their parents on a road trip while 5.6 percent would be the happiest riding with their sibling.
Six percent want to take a road trip alone and fewer than 2 percent would prefer to leave home with their favorite celebrity.
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