Hotwire Survey Reveals 41 Percent of Americans Who Travel Spend the Majority of their Vacation Budget on Obligation Trips

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today announced further results from their American Travel Behavior Survey, conducted on their behalf online by Harris Interactive in July 2011 among over 2,000 adults. The survey revealed that 41 percent of U.S. adults who travel spend the majority of their vacation budget on obligation trips such as reunions, weddings, holiday gatherings, etc. However, most (89%) would love to take more leisure trips, if they had the time and money, but struggle to figure out how to fit them in. In response, Hotwire® offers some affordable trip ideas on how travelers can add a mini-getaway to their have-to-do trips without breaking the bank or taking too much extra time off.

Even in a recovering economic climate, cost has remained one of the biggest obstacles that people are facing when deciding how and where to travel. With folks dedicating so much of their travel budget to necessity trips, their leisure getaways – ones they can truly enjoy – must be suffering.  And the data appears to confirm this trend. According to the survey, 94 percent of U.S. adults said that they would take one more trip than they already had planned if they could afford it, but only 37 percent of those who take 1-3 night trips 'just for fun' take them once per year.

"It's no surprise that obligation trips monopolize travel budgets and time, but with a little flexibility and creativity you can use these must-go trips to your advantage," said Clem Bason, president of the Hotwire Group. "There's no better way to keep in budget than by making the most of the travel investment that you've already made. By adding extra days at the end of must-go trips, travelers can create more leisure time for themselves, which can be used to explore a new side of the city they are already in or venture to a nearby destination."

To encourage Americans to travel more, Hotwire has mapped out these add-on trip ideas for each of the top five most booked destinations on Hotwire. By either renting a car or hopping on a quick train ride, consumers can get the most out of their vacation budget by transforming their obligation trip into a relaxing getaway:

• Family reunion in Chicago? Tack on a getaway to:
  • Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (One hour 45 minutes away)
    • Average hotel price on Hotwire: $125**
    • Economy car rental rate from Chicago on Hotwire: $19.99/day**

• Best friend's wedding in Washington DC? Tack on a getaway to:
  • Annapolis, Maryland (50 minutes away)
    • Average hotel price on Hotwire: $68**
    • Economy car rental rate from Washington DC on Hotwire: $18.95/day**

• Nephew's high school graduation in Toronto? Tack on a getaway to:
  • Niagara Falls, New York (One hour, 45 minutes away)
    • Average hotel price on Hotwire: $61**
    • Economy car rental rate from Toronto on Hotwire: $21.67/day**

• Home for the holidays in Los Angeles? Tack on a getaway to:
  • Palm Springs, California (Two hours away)
    • Average hotel price on Hotwire: $90**
    • Economy car rental rate from Los Angeles on Hotwire: $19.99/day**

• Business meeting in New York City? Tack on a getaway to:
  • Hudson River Valley, New York (45 minutes away)
    • Average hotel price on Hotwire: $63**
    • Economy car rental rate from New York City on Hotwire: $34.95/day**

*Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive via its QuickQuery omnibus product on behalf of Hotwire from July 27-29, 2011 among 2,127 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Andrew Reynolds at [email protected] or (323) 648-5425.

**Average hotel prices based on Hot Rate bookings made between 1/15/12-2/10/12 for stays in February. Car rental deals were found on Hotwire 2/10/12 for travel 3/2-3/6/12, no guarantee sample deal will be available past said date.

About Hotwire

Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises and vacation packages.  Launched in 2000, Hotwire negotiates deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars.  Hotwire is an award-winning website and operating company of Expedia, Inc. CST# 2053390-50.  NST: 20003-0209.  For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com. Hotwire sites operates in 8 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no and www.hotwire.com/dk.   In addition to Hotwire, The Hotwire Group of websites includes: www.hotwire.com, www.travel-ticker.com, www.carrentals.com.  

Hotwire, Hotwire.com and the Hotwire logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2012 Hotwire, Inc.  All rights reserved. CST# 2053390-40.

Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Atomic PR
(323) 648-5425
[email protected]

SOURCE Hotwire.com