Love Home Swap Survey Reveals Americans' Travel Bucket Lists

Japan, Finland and Thailand top the list of hottest emerging international travel destinations in 2018

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Aug 20, 2018, 12:47 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 20, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Love Home Swap, one of the world's leading home exchange programs, is releasing results from its Travel Bucket List Survey⁺ of 1,000 Americans. The survey uncovers U.S. consumers' travel aspirations and the barriers that stand in their way.

According to Love Home Swap's Travel Bucket List Survey, 77% of Americans have a travel bucket list, but only 3% have actually visited all the destinations on their list. There are a variety of reasons they cite for not making the trips, but overwhelmingly, the top barrier (85%) is cost.

Love Home Swap offers access to properties in emerging international hot spots like Thailand, which are topping Americans' travel bucket lists.

"At Love Home Swap, we're committed to helping provide our members with unique vacations for a fraction of the cost of traditional accommodations," said Ben Wosskow, managing director, Love Home Swap. "Our research shows that people want to live like locals when they travel. With thousands of inspiring properties around the world ripe for swapping, we can help them experience a new place for a whole lot less without having to forgo any of their usual home comforts."

What are those travel bucket list destinations on people's minds? The top five emerging international hotspots that Americans are interested in visiting include Japan (55%), Finland (34%), Thailand (34%), Portugal (28%) and Argentina (26%). While these places can be pricey to travel to, home swapping can be an ideal alternative to help travelers who otherwise might not be able to cross a dream destination off their bucket list.

High-res images of properties in the most-desired destinations can be found here.

Love Home Swap's Travel Bucket List Survey Results:

77% of US consumers have a travel bucket list
The most desirable countries on people's travel bucket lists are:

55% Japan
34% Finland
34% Thailand
28% Portugal
26% Argentina
19% Singapore
14% Croatia
5% Slovenia

Likeliness of consumers visiting destinations on their bucket lists:

3% have already visited all the destinations on their bucket list
52% are likely to visit a destination on their bucket list
45% are unlikely to visit a destination on their bucket list

Barriers to checking off destinations on travelers' bucket lists:

21% dream big, but tend not to follow through
85% say cost is an issue
19% don't have anyone to travel with and they don't want to travel alone
5% don't think that hotels provide a comfortable travel experience as they don't have enough space
14% want to experience the destination like a local, but don't know how to
17% have too many places they want to travel to

American views on home swapping:

4% have done a home swap
14% plan on home swapping, but haven't yet
20% are nervous about someone staying in their home
29% are not familiar with home swapping
34% aren't interested in a home swap

Methodology
⁺This survey conducted by M Booth and was fielded to a panel of 1,000 consumers ages 21+ from July 13, 2018 to July 18, 2018. Results were collected and analyzed using a web-based platform that delivers pulse surveys to respondents via their mobile devices, providing real-time data. Pulse surveys are short surveys that use a crowd-sourcing data collection methodology to measure general consumer attitudes about topical issues. While pulse surveys use a different sampling approach (crowdsourcing) compared to syndicated benchmarking studies, the data is representative of the US population and typically has a margin of error of +/- 3% (95% confidence, based on 1,000 respondents).

About Love Home Swap
Love Home Swap, one of the world's largest home exchange programs, is part of RCI and the Wyndham Destinations (NYSE: WYND) family of brands. The unique network has been helping travelers enjoy better vacations through the power of sharing for over six years through one simple idea. You choose where you want to go and a property you want to stay in, make the swap and then sit back and enjoy a hassle-free holiday without a hefty accommodation bill. With unprecedented access to thousands of great quality properties around the world, Love Home Swap's network offers something to suit every taste and style. For additional information, visit lovehomeswap.com. Love Home Swap can also be found on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.

SOURCE Love Home Swap