Vacation bookings are soaring as Americans show increasing confidence amid a record-high stock market and low unemployment.
The percentage of Americans who plan to take a vacation in the next six months is at the highest level in four decades.
More than 63 percent of Americans surveyed by the Conference Board are planning vacations. That's highest levels seen since at least 1978. It’s also twice the rate seen eight year ago, during the Great Recession.
The big jump in planned vacation spending reflects optimism about the healthy jobs market – a 4.2-percent unemployment rate, the lowest in 16 years -- and the record Dow Jones Industrial Average.
Consumer confidence, according to the Conference Board, rose in October to 125.9 – the highest since the end of 2000.