by Donald Wood
Last updated: 3:00 PM ET, Wed November 4, 2015
Photo courtesy of Thinkstock
Tourists are always looking for the latest news and trends to maximize their trips, and a recent survey of travel bloggers can be used as a tips-and-advice guide for those booking a vacation in 2016.
According to the TBEX Travel Professionals Survey commissioned by the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express, the travel blogger community-made up of writers, photographers and documentarians-spends an average of 88 days on the road each year, with 17 percent traveling for more than six months.
The survey also found that travel bloggers spend an average of $2,415 per trip. No one said it would be cheap.
There are many different types of travel, including luxury and voluntourism, but the survey found that travel bloggers prefer adventure experiences (69 percent), food & wine tastings (65 percent) and off-the-beaten path trips (64 percent).
During their excursions, travel bloggers are looking to be immersed in the culture and prefer dining on local cuisine, enjoying cultural events, experiencing nature and more. In order, the top cities to visit in the United States for bloggers include New Orleans, New York, Portland and Austin
As for an international flavor, travel bloggers voted Iceland, China, Japan, New Zealand and Cuba as the top international destinations, respectively.
American Express Vice President Lisa Kalhans released a statement about the survey, saying, "Having witnessed the prominence of the travel blogging community throughout the last few years, we were curious to measure the community's impact and capture the wisdom of the crowd."
In regards to capturing wisdom, 18 percent of respondents said their top tip to perspective travelers is to do your research by reading reviews and blogs. Other tips include talking to locals and packing light.
While using as many reward programs as possible is pivotal when traveling as much as bloggers do, 64 percent of responders said Wi-Fi was one of the most important deciding factors when choosing destination, attraction or hotel on a vacation or business trip.
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