We’re a nation that loves our wide, expansive countryside, towns and cities, farm fields, coastlines, tourist traps, spectacular vistas, deep canyons, and we love to pack everyone into the SUV and drive it all. As long we have Google maps and gas in the tank we’re heading out.
Increasingly, it’s how we spend our vacations. 85% of American travel is done domestically, and much of that is enjoyed by families piling into the car and heading for the open roads.
“Road trips have increased from about 22% of all vacations taken in 2015 to 39% taken in 2016,” says Steve Cohen, Senior Vice President of Travel Insights at MMGY Global. He spearheaded the company’s examination of the latest trends in the 2018 Portrait of American Travelers.
Perhaps blame some of it on our love for selfies. “The percentage of people who post vacation pictures on social media to make their friends and family jealous has doubled over the last four years, and we actually believe that percentage is understated,” Cohen tells KTRH News. Here’s us at Niagara Falls; here’s us at Big Sur. Jealous yet?
There are definite advantages to traveling by car. “One is the flexibility to be to stop wherever you want without having to be on much of a schedule, unlike traveling by air. The other is being able to pack as much as you want without having to pay any kind of baggage fees,” he suggests.
Millennials are looking to cut costs, but Boomers and Gen Xers are lowering the windows and putting their hands out to catch the elusive wind, the generations comprising the largest cohort of road weary but happy travelers heading off for an adventure on America’s highways.