Survey Reveals Americans Have 3 Very Specific Requirements For A Trip To Be Considered A Vacation
Does your perfect vacation meet these requirements?
Ground Picture / Shutterstock Talker Research conducted a study commissioned by Go City, a global attraction business, to determine travel preferences and habits of Americans. Turns out people in the good ole U-S-of-A have very specific criteria when it comes to what makes a trip an actual vacation.
Sure, a good vacation may look different to each of us. Some prefer lounging on the beach on a tropical island somewhere, and some would rather spend time hiking in the great outdoors. Regardless of what you like to do, everyone can appreciate taking the time to get away and leave normal life and responsibilities at home. That's not enough for most Americans, however.
According to a recent study, America considers a trip a "vacation" if it meets three specific requirements.
Based on the opinions of 2,000 surveyed travelers, the ideal vacation lasts 11 days, is approximately three hours from home, and costs around $8,807 per person. Yeah, you read that right. Nearly 9 grand a person and 11 days?! Sign me up, but also, who is this lucky?!
According to Chime, the average cost of a one-week vacation in the U.S. is $1,991, but if you're frugal, it could be as low as $739. That seems much more realistic than nearly $9,000 per person, but perhaps it's wishful thinking. We all want to indulge in travel more than things because research has proven that people who spend more money on traveling rather than things are overall happier and more connected to others and the world than their peers.
The majority of respondents said that their perfect vacation is located in the U.S., though the study found some differing opinions on where that might be. Travelers had a range of responses, including sunny beaches (63%), the great outdoors (53%), major cities (43%), historic locations (42%), and amusement parks (30%).
One thing is for certain, however, when it comes to the length of a trip, Americans know that the longer the better. A study published in the Journal of Happiness Studies found that participants saw the highest impact on their health and well-being on the eighth day of their vacation. Eleven days doesn't seem so absurd when put into that context.
The study also found that Americans have very specific ideas of what makes up a 'perfect' vacation.
Many of the participants thought that a vacation is only perfect if they can completely relax and recuperate (67%), create meaningful moments with others (63%), and travel alongside people they get along with (62%). Two in five travelers (41%) think a vacation is only perfect if they can check off bucket list items while traveling.
Psychologically, traveling with others can greatly impact the experience. Researchers at Yale found that "sharing an experience with another person, without communicating, amplifies one’s experience. Both pleasant and unpleasant experiences were more intense when shared."
However, an astounding 92% claimed that if one thing goes wrong, it's enough to ruin everything else. The most problematic issues reported by travelers were unexpected costs (45%), travel hiccups (44%), local weather (41%), significant distance from the hotel to local attractions (40%), lack of temperature control (35%), and bad food (34%).
Americans are willing to make certain trade-offs to have a "perfect" vacation.
The study also acknowledged the sacrifices that travelers would be willing to make to get enhancements elsewhere. 88% of the surveyed travelers said that they would give up something in order to guarantee a perfect vacation.
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Almost a third said they'd be willing to give up expensive hotels (33%), spending ahead of the trip (32%), and extra leg room on the flight (28%). They would prefer to have "more time to relax and unwind (29%), more money to spend on food and drinks (28%), or an upgraded hotel room with a gorgeous view and free breakfast (27%) while on vacation."
Judy Gauthier, Chief Commercial Officer at Go City, said, "Our research shows it’s often the simple things that matter most — spending time with loved ones, feeling relaxed, and making memories — even if you have to make a few concessions along the way."
When it comes down to it, most of us spend more time dreaming about taking a vacation rather than actually taking the steps to go on one. In case you need it, this is your official permission slip. Book that trip. Treat yourself. Love every minute of it. You deserve it.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
