Intrepid Travel, the world leader in responsible travel, today released findings from their first-ever Travel Pulse in the U.S. market. The survey conducted by The Harris Poll, between November 20-23, 2023, among over 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18+, found that more than half [55%] of respondents plan to prioritize travel over non-essential luxuries despite a challenging economy.
“Our survey found that only 17% of U.S. adults plan to travel less in 2024.,” said Matt Berna, Intrepid Travel President, The Americas. What we are seeing is that consumers are not canceling their trips, but they are traveling smarter. They are investing in travel experiences where they get the most for their money while putting safety first.”
Limited Budgets and Safety Concerns Are Changing How People Travel
People in the U.S. have less money to spend on non-essential activities in 2024 according to Intrepid Travel’s new survey. However, most US adults (57%) say they plan to travel the same in 2024 as they did in 2023, and about 1 in 4 (26%) plan to travel more.
People are finding ways to make travel happen with limited budgets. For example, nearly seven in 10, U.S. adults will avoid traveling during peak season and instead will book their upcoming trips during the spring and fall, known in the travel industry as the ‘shoulder seasons,’ the time when crowds have lightened, flights and hotels are more affordable, and temperatures are milder.
Among the nearly one in five of all U.S. adults who plan to travel less in the year ahead, 66% report the reason is that they have less money to spend on travel, followed by a lack of time to do so [22%] and safety concerns [16%].
Regarding safety concerns, our survey also found that more than one in two [55%] U.S. respondents say they don’t feel safe traveling outside of the U.S., and three in 10 [29%] say they don’t feel safe traveling within the US right now.
Outlook for 2024: U.S. Consumers Are Prioritizing Travel
The data also showed…
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