Ninety percent of Americans have traveled in the last three months, according to a study last month of 1,500 TripIt users. Seventy-three percent stayed in a hotel; 67 percent took a domestic flight; and 64 percent took a road trip. Even more: Despite some concerns about disruptions and cost, 72 percent of Americans said they’re feeling positive about their travel plans in the year ahead.
Survey data shows almost three-quarters (74 percent) of American travelers plan to fly domestically by August; half (50 percent) plan to fly internationally by then.
Regarding the optimistic traveler, 41 percent say they are looking forward to the trips they have planned. Another quarter (23 percent) are confident that travel disruptions will improve this year. A fifth (18 percent) replied that they are not concerned about getting sick during their trip. On the other hand, very few Americans are optimistic because of travel costs: Fewer than 5 percent feel confident costs will go down.
As for the 19 percent who are feeling neutral about 2023 travel, 26 percent said they’ve booked their trips far enough in advance to ensure their lodging and transportation plans; another 23 percent feel more prepared to navigate travel disruptions. Additionally, 16 percent have budgeted appropriately to afford travel this year. The nine percent who were not very or not at all optimistic were more concerned about disruptions, the cost of travel and getting sick while on a trip.
That said, nearly half of respondents (47 percent) who traveled in the past three months experienced some sort of disruption—whether that’s a flight delay of an hour or more (40 percent), a canceled flight (16 percent), or waited in a line for an hour or more (10 percent).
One out of five travelers (20 percent) said they received compensation for their disrupted travel experience, though another 12 percent said they filed a claim but did not or have not yet received compensation. Most (9 percent) said they received a flight voucher or airline miles/points. Just 7 percent received up to $500 in compensation; very few (2 percent) received more than that.
Of those who received compensation, 78 percent plan to use it toward a trip this year. Nearly half (44 percent) plan to use their compensation toward a trip they were already planning and more than a quarter (27 percent) will put it toward a new trip.
As for cost, 79 percent of respondents said inflation has affected their travel planning for the year—a 22 percent increase over the September 2022 survey. The result: 26 percent said they have budgeted more than usual for travel, while 18 percent said it has caused them to plan fewer, or different types, of trips. That said, 10 percent of Americans are planning to spend $10,000 or more on travel; another 17 percent will spend between $5,000 and $10,000. An additional 35 percent will spend at least $1,500 more. That equates to 62 percent of Americans who will be spending more, despite—or due to—inflation in 2023.
Source: TripIt
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