Paula Froelich, Yahoo

Trave l Pe rcep t i ons S tudy

P R E S E N T E D B Y P a u l a F r o e l i c h , E d i t o r i n C h i e f , Y a h o o T r a v e l | A p r i l 7 , 2 0 1 5

@ P f r o | @ Y a h o o T r a v e l

2 Yahoo Confidential & Proprietary

23%

18%

7%25%

19%

8%

Gender/Age Distribution

Males 18-34

Males 35-54

Males 55+

Females 18-34

Females 35-54

Females 55+

Field Dates

Survey fielded on-network

from

December 12-15, 2014

Males

<3548%

35+Looked at Food content on Yahoo

47%

Females

53%

52%

Sample requirements:

• 2005 respondents

• US residents

• Have traveled for leisure at

least once in past 3 years

Methodology


Males

Looked at Food content on Yahoo

47%

Females

53%

Recommendations from friends/family is the top influencer for booking a trip, and

online is overwhelmingly the preferred way to do so

Over half travel with significant others, and most prefer to take self-guided tours

Most use social media while traveling, with Facebook being the lead outlet by a wide

margin

More than half have traveled alone, and without a significant other

The majority of those with paid vacation days are happy with the number they have,

and over half use all or most of them

Key Findings


Males

Looked at Food content on Yahoo

47%

Females

53%

9% 20% 22% 21% 16% 9% 3%

Last week Last month Last 3 months Last 6 months Last year Last 2 years Last 3 years

Last Traveled Within…

Over two-thirds traveled within the last six months

Average Trips Per Year

Travelers take

4.0trips on average

per year

3.0are domestic

trips

1.0are international

trips

Men have taken a trip within the last week more so than

women, while women are more

likely to have taken a trip within the last 6 months or

year

<35 are more likely to have taken a trip

within the last week, while 35+

are more likely to have taken one within the last 2

years


61%

46%

44%

43%

41%

40%

36%

26%

22%

16%

3%

2%

Visiting friends/family

Experiencing something new

Quiet time/relaxing

Seeing something I have never seen before

Taking time for myself

Adventure

Returning somewhere I love

Food

Connecting with other cultures

Sports/activities

I rarely if ever travel outside my city or town

Other

Travel Motivations

Women are more motivated by

visiting friends/family while

men are more motivated by

adventure and sports/activities<35 are more

motivated by experiencing

something new, adventure, food, connecting with

other cultures, and sports/activities

Over half travel to visit friends and family


Friend or family recommendations

48%

Travel review sites14%

Ads7%

Article/videos on a website/blog

6%

Travel books5%

Posts on social media

4%

Magazine articles4%

Travel agent3% Other

9%

Almost half are influenced by friends and family

Women are influenced more

by friends/family, and men are most influenced by ads and travel agents

<35 are influenced by articles/videos on websites/blogs and post on social media more than

35+ are

Most Influence on Decision to Book a Trip


77%

19%

13%

6%

Online

Over the phone

Via a travel agent

Other

Online is the preferred method to book travel

Usual Travel Booking Method

Men book through the

phone or through travel agents more so

than women

<35 are more likely to book a trip online or

through a travel agent versus

35+


7%

25%

34%

16%

5%

13%

Spur of the moment

One month

2-3 months

4-6 months

More than 6 months

It depends on the trip

One-third plan travel 2-3 months before a trip

Advance Travel Planning

Women are more likely than

men to plan travel more than 6 months out, or

depending on the trip

<35 are more likely to plan travel one

month before, whereas 35+ are

more likely to plan more than 6

months before


53%

31%

31%

20%

18%

12%

5%

Spouse/significant other

Children

Friends

Parents

Other relatives

Usually travel alone

Co-workers

Over half travel with significant others, and almost one-third

with children or friends

Usual Travel Companions

Men are more likely to travel alone or with

coworkers, while women travel more with any kind of family

member

<35 are more likely to travel with parents,

other relatives, friends, or coworkers


47%

35%

27%

27%

24%

22%

14%

11%

4%

Mid-priced hotels

At a family member's home

Motels

Luxury hotels

At a friend's home

Bed and Breakfasts

Vacation rental by owner

Hostels

Other

Almost half prefer to stay in mid-priced hotels

Travel Accommodations

Women are more likely to

stay at a family member’s home than

men

<35 are more likely to stay at all

accommodation types, with the

exception of mid-priced hotels or

motels


65%

50%

30%

16%

10%

3%

Credit card

Cash

Savings

Points/rewards/sweepstakes

Parents

Voluntourism

Credit card and cash are the top payments to fund travel

Men tend to use credit cards and

participate in volunteerism more

than women; women are more likely to use their parents to fund

their travel

35+ use credit cards to fund their travel

more so than <35

Payment for Travel


Less than $50018%

$500-$99920%

$1000-$299928%

$3000-$499918%

$5000-$999912%

$10,000+5%Less than

$25012%

$250-$49922%

$500-$99930%

$1000-$499933%

$5000+4%

About half spend between $250-$1000 on a vacation

Amount Spent on Average Vacation Amount Spent on Travel per Year

Men are more likely to spend over $1000

on an average vacation or on travel

throughout the year, whereas

women are more likely to spend less

than that

<35 tend to spend less then $1000 on

an average vacation, but their older counterparts

tend to spend more than $1000


Facebook is the most used social media outlet while traveling

Social Media Used (Among Those Who Use It While Traveling)

Men tend to use Twitter and

Flickr more, while women use Pinterest

more

<35 are more likely to use

Twitter, Instagram,

Pinterest, and Tumblr more than

35+

92%

34%

34%

19%

11%

4%

4%Other

69% of travelers use

social media while

traveling


38%

15%

14%

12%

10%

8%

3%

Personal safety

Language barriers

Health issues/proper medical care

Possible political unrest

Being physically uncomfortable

Natural disaster

Other

Personal safety is the biggest travel concern when traveling

abroad

Biggest Travel Concerns When Traveling Abroad

<35 are more concerned with

language barriers and natural

disasters, whereas 35+ are more

concerned with personal safety and

political unrest


24%

21%

17%

11%

7%

7%

7%

3%

2%

I don't get angry on a plane

Rude passengers

Cramped space

Crying baby

Rude flight attendants

Haven't traveled by plane before

Ticket prices

No/bad food

Other

Though a quarter do not get angry on a plane, rude

passengers are the largest causes of air rage

Biggest Travel Annoyances

Women more than men

have never traveled by

plane before

<35 are more likely to be annoyed by

rude flight attendants, ticket

prices, and bad food. By contrast, 35+ are

more likely not to get angry on a plane


More than half have traveled alone or without a significant

other

Solo Travel

58%of travelers have

traveled alone

Those who have

traveled alone

have taken an

average of 10.9 trips alone

Never20%

Once in a while34%

Frequently20%

Do not have

significant other26%

Traveled without Significant Other

7% have lied to their significant

other about going on vacation

Men tend to lie

more than women

<35 are more

likely to lie


All of them38%

Most of them28%

Some of them30%

None5%

The majority are happy with the number of paid vacation

days they have, and use at least some

Paid Vacation Days

73% of employed

travelers have paid

vacation days

through their work

84%of those with paid

vacation days are

happy with the

number they have

Vacation Days Taken Past Year

(Among Those Who Get Paid Vacation)

12% have lied to their boss to take a

vacation (11% never had a boss to lie to)

35+ are more likely to use

all their vacation

days

<35 are more

likely to lie


New York is the most unfriendly city, with Los Angeles and

Paris nearly tying for secondMost Unfriendly City

31%

15%

14%

9%

6%

6%

4%

3%

3%

2%

9%

New York City

Los Angeles

Paris

Hong Kong

São Paulo

Tokyo

San Francisco

London

Rome

Sydney

Other

Men tend to think Rome is

more unfriendly

than women do

<35 tend to think Hong Kong and Sydney are more unfriendly

than 35+ do


Las Vegas is the most overrated city, followed by New York

and MiamiMost Overrated City

28%

18%

14%

11%

7%

6%

3%

2%

2%

2%

5%

Las Vegas

New York City

Miami

Paris

Dubai

Honolulu

London

Vaitape, Bora Bora

Rome

Sydney

Other

Men say Dubai and Sydney are more overrated than women do, while women say Las Vegas is more

overrated

<35 say Rome and Sydney are more overrated

than 35+ do


My dream trip would be to go to South

America and stay in an all inclusive resort by

the beach and I would rent a car and travel

throughout the city and go to surrounding

countries.

– 33, F

Take my grandsons and daughter to

Disney World in Florida. We can lodge at

my brother’s house and he would take us

sight seeing too.

– 50, F

Dream Vacations

Verbatim Comments

Lying on a Caribbean

beach with a fruity

drink with an

umbrella in it.

– 32, M

I would take the honeymoon we

never got with my husband to

Ireland. It would be at least 10

days in Ireland and we would

drive ourselves around and stay

at bed and breakfasts and kiss

the Blarney Stone. We would

visit castles and pubs and try

new foods.

– 37, F

I would love to visit Africa. Not only for volunteer work and to

make a difference in someone's life, but to experience something

completely different. A safari is definitely something I am looking

forward to. I would love to go to Morocco to ride camels, see

Marrakech and try new cuisine. I am willing to try and learn

anything new and exciting.

– 23, F

Travel to

Alaska on a

cruise with my

wife and

daughter.

– 50, M

A scuba diving live-aboard trip to the

South Pacific for 10 days or more.

Destinations could include the

Solomon Islands, Palau, Indonesia,

and Thailand.

– 57, M

Backpacking

through

Europe.

– 35, F

A month long rock

climbing and sight

seeing trip to Yosemite

National Park including

an experienced

guide/climbing partner

to show me the best

places/routes to climb

and places to visit.

– 31, M
