This Summer's Top Vacation Trends

Image: PHOTO: A Panama City Beach sunset. (photo by Stacey Schottey)
Image: PHOTO: A Panama City Beach sunset. (photo by Stacey Schottey)
Patrick Clarke
by Patrick Clarke
Last updated: 4:00 PM ET, Thu June 8, 2017

More Americans and Europeans plan to get away this summer compared to last year.

However, those vacationers will take shorter trips this time around, according to a survey of 10,000 consumers from 10 different countries conducted by travel insurance and assistance provider Generali Global Assistance.

The study found that two-thirds of Americans (66 percent) plan to travel this summer, up from 61 percent in 2016.

Meanwhile, 63 percent of European expect to take a trip this summer. That figure is up a whopping nine percentage points from last year.

Duration

Based on Generali Global Assistance's research, Americans will spend an average of 1.4 weeks away on summer vacation in 2017, down from 1.7 weeks a year ago. Europeans will also spend less time away with the average duration dropping from 2.4 weeks in 2016 to 1.9 weeks this year.

Generali Global Assistance North America CEO Chris Carnicelli attributes the shorter duration to shrinking budgets.

"The shorter travel durations are explained by sizeable decreases in traveler's budgets this year," Carnicelli said in a statement. "U.S. travelers are dropping their budgets by 20 percent to an average $2,679, while Europeans budgets are decreasing by 14 percent to €1,989. This is significant because budget once again ranked as the number one factor for travelers when deciding on a summer vacation location."

Destinations

Of the 10 nations polled, Belgium and Switzerland are the only countries where a majority of travelers are expected to leave the country for vacation.

Four out of 10 Americans plan to stay within the U.S. while 63 percent of French vacationers will remain local. A majority of Italian (56 percent) and Spanish (52 percent) travelers also plan to travel domestically for summer vacation in 2017.

[READMORE] READ MORE: This Summer's Top Hotel and Travel Trends [/READMORE]

While most Europeans (63 percent) will flock to the seaside to celebrate their summer holiday, most Americans (46 percent) will explore urban locations. The beach is America's second-favorite summer setting, followed by the mountains and countryside.

Generali Global Assistance's survey also found that travelers from the U.K. are the best at disconnecting from work on vacation with 70 percent indicating that they plan to completely unplug on holiday.

Sixty-eight percent of Europeans as a whole will unplug while just 56 percent of Americans will go off the grid this summer.

Despite staying connected more often, Americans are more likely than their European counterparts to get in touch with nature on summer vacation. Camping is a hit with 48 percent of Americans compared to just 23 percent of Europeans and 20 percent of U.S. travelers have embarked on an eco-tourism trip compared to 13 percent of Europeans.

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