Travel Trends Show Popularity of Short Getaways

Image: PHOTO: Couple's are looking to travel this fall. (photo via molchanovdmitry/iStock/Getty Images Plus) (molchanovdmitry / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Image: PHOTO: Couple's are looking to travel this fall. (photo via molchanovdmitry/iStock/Getty Images Plus) (molchanovdmitry / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
Janeen Christoff
by Janeen Christoff
Last updated: 4:11 PM ET, Mon July 30, 2018

Summer vacations are in full swing and Americans are planning to spend near-record amounts of money on travel this season.

Sojern has taken a peek into the trends that are driving travel decisions in its most recent Global Travel Insights survey.

Results of the survey show that prior to the busy summer travel season, Americans were planning shorter trips. In fact, 80 percent of North American travelers looked for trips of seven days or less.

People were planning relatively early, too. In the months of April, May, and June, 51 percent of travel searches were done at least one month in advance.

Those searching for travel in the second quarter were looking on their smartphones. Twenty-eight percent of travel searches came from a mobile device.

Destinations trending from April through June within the North American market included Miami, New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Looking to the future, travel-related searches for July, August, and September are trending toward travel for two people and short getaways, giving travel sellers a perspective on what clients will be looking for as they transition from summer to fall bookings.

Top destinations for short-haul travel include Miami, New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago and Los Angeles. The top spots for long-haul travel include Cancun, London, Montego Bay, Punta Cana and San Juan.

Most travelers looking for short-haul destinations (44 percent) were looking at stays as long as three days. Those looking for trips between four and seven days were split (38 percent) between long- and short-haul destinations.

For those seeking longer getaways, most (29 percent) were looking at trips in excess of 12 days.

As September approaches and mindsets shift from summer to fall travel, search trends indicate travel marketers can cater their offerings to friends traveling together or couples looking for romantic getaways.


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