Across the U.S., families are gearing up for another year of travel. According to a recent AAA Travel survey, nearly 100 million Americans – four in 10 U.S. adults – are planning to take a family vacation in 2019, slightly more than last year. Spring and summer road trips will top many of these families’ vacation plans.
Two-thirds of all family travelers (68 percent) will embark on a summer getaway, while just under half (45 percent) are making plans to travel as a family this spring. Regardless of the season, the “great American road trip” remains a major draw for these families; about half of traveling families (53 percent) expect to pack up their cars for a road trip this year.
Additionally, travelers in the South are more likely to be making plans for a family trip this year (62 percent) than travelers in the Northeast (35 percent).
A welcome gift to road trippers, gas prices have averaged nearly a quarter cheaper so far in 2019 compared with the first few months of last year. While gas prices are increasing now, summer prices are expected to be cheaper than last year. Another recent AAA survey found that 33 percent of Americans would go on at least one additional summer road trip if gas prices remain low.
To help inspire would-be road trippers, AAA’s travel editors have curated more than 450 pre-planned road trips. The top five routes for summer travel according to AAA member road trip routing data are as follows:
- Las Vegas to National Parks
- Northern California and Southern Oregon Coast
- Northern New England
- Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina
- Black Hills, South Dakota
AAA’s family travel research is the result of a telephone survey (landline and cell phone) consisting of 1,007 adults living in the continental United States. Interviewing for this survey was conducted January 24-27, 2019. This study has an average statistical error of ±3 percent at the 95 percent confidence level for all U.S. adults.
Source: AAA Travel
Related Stories
Taking the Kids -- New Museum Exhibits to Explore
Stats: 91% of Families Find “Unplugged” Vacations Appealing
Taking the Kids -- and Indulging Your Inner-Foodie at an All-Inclusive Resort
Stats: Americans Seek Vacation Experiences to Impress Social Followers