Americans are Least Adventurous on Vacation

SANTA ROSA, Calif., Nov. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a survey commissioned by Intrepid Travel (www.intrepidtravel.com) released today, Americans are the least adventurous on vacation compared to four other nationalities, Californians tend to be game for the most adventure compared to the rest of the US, and New Englanders are twice as likely (10.6%) than the national average to try deep fried tarantulas.

The recent survey, conducted by UK-based Opinion Matters, set out to gauge which nationality is the most adventurous on vacation and polled 1,000 travelers in each of the following countries US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom for a base of 5,000 respondents.

In order to gauge the 'intrepidness' of travelers, respondents were asked to reveal how likely they were to try a variety of holiday experiences including eating deep fried tarantula, sleeping in a hilltop village hut, going on a safari, haggling at local markets and exploring ancient ruins.

According to the responses:

• The US is the least adventurous, while the Kiwis come in first
• In the US, Californians were the most adventurous overall
• People from Washington DC were least likely to want to sleep under the stars in a desert camp (26.5%); San Diegans were the most likely (68.4%)
• Texans are a varied bunch: Dallas respondents were most likely to want to stay with a local family in a village (44.2%), while Austin respondents were least likely (17.6%)
• New Englanders are most likely to haggle at local markets (60.5%) compared to the genteel Southerners (37.9%)

"This data helps us get a sense of travelers' perceptions across the globe and here in the US, so that we can develop product that is relevant while challenging their sense of adventure and inviting them to possibly move a little bit outside their comfort zone," said Matt Berna, Intrepid Travel's US General Manager.

But Americans shouldn't be counted out just yet.  While we may currently be lagging behind when it comes to adventure on vacation, it's interesting to note that Intrepid Travel's US sales are the strongest compared to all other markets in the past year.  The top selling Intrepid trips for US travelers in 2010 have been in Egypt, Peru, India and Morocco – destinations definitely not lacking in adventurous activities.  

Full results are available upon request.  For more information on Intrepid Travel, visit www.intrepidtravel.com/about.  

About Intrepid Travel

Now in its 21st year of operation, Intrepid Travel is one of the world's leading small group adventure tour operators. Intrepid takes over 100,000 travelers to more than 100 countries worldwide, each year.  Intrepid trips are designed to go off the beaten track, meet the locals and travel in an unconventional way, joining locals on their transport, in their markets and even in their homes.  Intrepid employs close to a thousand employees in nearly 20 countries worldwide. 

SOURCE Intrepid Travel