Priceline National Road Trip Day Survey Reveals Seven in 10 Americans Want to Take a Road Trip This Summer To Escape Their Quaranteam

NORWALK, Conn., May 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate National Road Trip Day (Friday, May 28), Priceline did a deep dive into the resurgence of road trips across the U.S., revealing that road trips have become so popular in the last year that nine in 10 Americans have taken at least one, with the vast majority (75%) taking more than four, according to a Priceline Survey by OnePoll.¹

Being cooped up during quarantine inspired Americans to hit the road, yearning to leave the challenges of the last year behind them. And in some cases, leave their pandemic roommates behind, too. In fact, seven out of 10 Americans want to take a road trip to escape their quaranteam.

"People are ready to see new faces and places again," says Ben Harrell, Chief Marketing Officer, Priceline. "As the country continues to open up, rental cars and road trips are a safe and accessible way to reunite with loved ones and explore new, or rediscover favorite, destinations."

Priceline's National Road Trip Day survey asked Americans about their preferences when it comes to hitting the road, how COVID-19 has affected the way they take road trips, and identified different preferences among various demographics. Some interesting trends discovered include:

Gen-Z Looks to Escape Their Quaranteam

• Eight in 10 Gen Zers (ages 18-24) want to get out of their home and are the age group most interested in escaping their quaranteam.
• 78% of Gen Zers are comfortable taking a road trip prior to being vaccinated, while only half of other adults would be comfortable doing the same.
• However, Gen Zers were the most likely to want to road trip to a destination with a lower concentration of COVID-19 cases (78%), while Baby Boomers were the least likely (24%).
• Gen Xers and Millennials embarked on the most road trips in the past year, taking an average of six and seven trips, respectively. They're also willing to take longer road trips, with eight days being the preferred average duration for both generations.

Northeasterners Racked Up The Miles

• Eight out of 10 Northeasterners want to escape their quaranteam, more than any other region.
• 95% of Northeasterners have taken a road trip in the past year, with Westerners in a close second (92%). Despite being the region with the least roadtrippers, the majority of Midwesterners (71%) have taken at least one road trip.
• 48% of Americans in the Northeast agree that a road trip is the safest type of vacation right now.
• Overall, Americans in the South (both the Southwest and Southeast) are most likely to rent a car (59%).

Men and Women Agree: Reuniting with Loved Ones is a Road Trip Priority

• Taking a look at gender preferences, 65% of American men would rent a car compared to 46% of American women, with men being 55% more likely to rent a car because they want a fun ride, like a convertible, for their road trip.
• Both men and women plan to take road trips to reunite with loved ones. Women were 5% more likely than men to visit family, while men were 13% more likely to road trip to visit friends.
• However, men were 35% more likely to take a road trip for the primary purpose of spending time alone.
• Both genders were equally split (18%) in their desire to take a road trip for the primary goal of visiting a destination with outdoor activities.
• 60% of men are comfortable taking a road trip prior to being vaccinated, while only 44% of women would be comfortable doing the same.

The Majority of Road Trippers are Renting Cars

When it comes to getting around, the majority of Americans (59%) want to rent a car for their summer road trips because they prefer to avoid putting mileage on their own car (57%), want to ride in style (59%), or just prefer to drive to their vacation destination (49%). The catch is that as travel came to a halt in 2020, many car rental companies reduced the size of their fleet to match pandemic-level demand. Now, with travelers hitting the road again and a global semiconductor chip shortage halting the production of new vehicles, demand is high and rates have soared by 30 percent compared to 2019 pricing.

"Vehicle shortages across the country have driven up the rate of rental cars," says Lucy Bueti, VP of Rental Car, Priceline. "My best advice is to book your car early and to be flexible; flexibility on your car type, the pickup date and the pickup location can result in significant savings. Travelers can also unlock significant discounts, up to 40% off, by booking a Priceline Express Deal."

To help travelers hit the road without breaking the bank, Priceline—which has saved consumers more than $15 billion on travel since 1998—is announcing a special National Road Trip Day offer, and that's on top of great rental partner deals, including Hertz, Mex and Sixt.

Priceline National Road Trip Day Offer

• 10% off Express Deal rental cars and hotels. Maximum savings of $50.
• Use code: ROADTRIP10
• Valid 5/17/21 at 12:00am EST until 5/30/21 at 11:59pm EST

Partner Deals

• Hertz: Save $20 on weekly rentals at airport locations (Valid 5/24 - 5/30/21)
• Mex: Save up to 20% on all Mex Rent A Car rentals in Mexico (Valid 5/24 - 6/6/21)
• Sixt: Save up to 15% on midweek rentals (Valid 5/17 - 6/1/21)
• Visit Priceline.com or the Priceline App to see other partner deals

As the experts in saving travelers money, Priceline is sharing tips on how to get the best deal on rental cars and avoid high rates this National Road Trip Day, and for all of your summer travel plans. For additional information, visit Press.Priceline.com.

About Priceline
Priceline, part of Booking Holdings Inc. [NASDAQ: BKNG], is a world leader in travel deals. Priceline offers exclusive discounts on hotels, flights, alternative accommodations, rental cars, cruises and packages. We offer more than a million lodging properties, helping travelers find the right accommodation at the right price. We negotiate great deals every day, and put our best pricing on the Priceline app. Our deep discounts on hotels, flights, rental cars and more are also distributed through our partnership brand, Priceline Partner Network. With free cancellation for many rates, 24-hour customer assistance and the option for both pre-paid and pay upon arrival reservations, Priceline helps millions of travelers be there for the moments that matter. For us, and for our customers, every trip is a big deal.

For further information, please contact:
Christina Bennett, [email protected]   
Nicole Salerno, [email protected]

¹ Research findings are based on a survey of 2,007 Americans conducted by OnePoll in April 2021.

SOURCE Priceline