Work Hard, Eat Well: TripIt Reveals Profile of a 21st Century Road Warrior

SAN FRANCISCO, July 26, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- TripIt, the leading mobile trip organizer from Concur (Nasdaq CNQR), today revealed the portrait of a 21st century frequent traveler, based on a survey conducted among more than 3,100 of its users. TripIt asked participants about their preferred technology, how often they travel, how they book, who they share their trips with and what they do for fun. The results indicate that smartphones have become ubiquitous with travel, and that while road warriors travel most frequently for business, they still make room for luxurious leisure trips, they're influenced by rewards programs and they indulge in fine dining in their spare time.

Smartphones Rule, Apple is King

The vast majority of frequent travelers rely on smartphones: more than 96 percent said they own at least one smartphone and 23 percent own more than one. iPhone leads the pack at 66 percent, followed by Android (25 percent) and BlackBerry (17 percent).

By comparison, a study released today by Concur and the Global Business Travel Association found that 82 percent of business travelers carry at least one smartphone on the road.

When asked how they use their smartphones, 96 percent of respondents named email as their top activity, followed by browsing the web (63 percent) and conducting business (54 percent). Social networking came in as the fourth most popular activity, according to 40 percent of respondents.

"Travelers are quick to adopt technology that makes their life on the road easier," says Gregg Brockway, General Manager and Executive Vice President of TripIt. "So its no surprise that smartphone use is prolific among our users. Manila folders just don't cut it for road warriors."

When it comes to the tablet vs. e-reader wars, ownership is pretty close between iPad (51 percent) and Kindle (40 percent). But not for long: 35 percent said they plan to purchase an iPad, while only 15 percent plan to purchase a Kindle.

Time Spent on Business Trips, Dollars Spent on Leisure

More than half of survey participants travel seven or more times per year for business (53 percent) and only 14 percent travel that frequently for fun. When it comes to leisure travel, nearly one third of respondents travel once or twice annually (29 percent) and another third travel 3-4 times per year (32 percent).

While leisure trips may be less frequent, the majority of households are spending more than $5,000 per year on a vacation. Nearly half said they spend up to $5,000 (49 percent), one-third said they spend between $5 - 10,000 (30 percent) and another 21 percent are spending more than $10,000 per year on leisure travel.

Rewards Programs Work

An overwhelming 85 percent of respondents said they're influenced by rewards programs when they book travel. Nearly half prefer to make their own travel arrangements (44 percent). And while 33 percent are required to use their company travel agency, another 15 percent are encouraged but not required.

"Allowing travelers to maintain their preferred booking habits is a cornerstone of TripIt's technology, and we're continuing to see interest and room in the marketplace for both self-booking sites and corporate travel arrangements among our users," said Brockway. "It's all about giving travelers options and tools to help them before, during, and after their journey – regardless of where or how they book."

Travelers Share Trips with Those Who Need to Know Most

Depending on the nature of the trip, the majority of respondents share trips with family (77 percent) and colleagues (60 percent). Nearly one-third (27 percent) said they share trips with friends and 11 percent said they don't share their trips with anyone. Of note, three out of four respondents were male and either married or cohabitating.

Food, Fitness and Entertainment: What Road Warriors Do for Fun

Despite their busy travel schedules, more than half of respondents chose culinary pursuits as their top leisure activity (51 percent). Other popular leisure activities include physical activities (exercise - 34 percent; outdoor activities - 24 percent), entertainment (30 percent each said reading and watching TV) and entertaining family and friends (25 percent).

Restaurants are a frequent activity for both business and pleasure, but respondents said they dine out more frequently on their own dime. More than 82 percent said they dine out at least four times per month for fun (compared to 51 percent on business trips) and nearly half of those same respondents are dining out eight times or more per month on their own dime.

21st Century Road Warrior At-a-Glance

In summary, here's what a 21st century frequent traveler looks like according to TripIt users:

• Smartphone-carrying traveler with a preference for Apple gadgets
• Travels twice as often for business as pleasure, but spends $5 - 10,000 annually on leisure trips
• Keeps family and colleagues informed of travel plans
• Spends down time on culinary pursuits and dines out at least 4-8 times per month

Methodology

TripIt conducted the survey online in April 2011. Participants were invited via email from a pool of 40,000 recipients who were randomly selected, registered users of TripIt, with at least one trip since January 2009. Results reflect 3,135 completed responses, which were received between April 25-May 5, 2011.

About TripIt

TripIt®, the leading mobile travel organizer from Concur® (Nasdaq: CNQR), makes it easy for millions of travelers to organize and share their trips – no matter where they book.  Simply forward air, car, hotel and entertainment confirmation emails from more than 3,000 vendors to [email protected] and TripIt automagically creates one simple, smart itinerary to access on a smartphone, calendar, or anywhere online.  For even greater peace of mind while traveling, TripIt Pro acts like a personal travel assistant that keeps travelers in the know regarding flight status, alternate flights, and more; tracks all frequent traveler points in one place; and monitors eligible flights for fare refunds. TripIt for Business is an easier way for companies to organize office travel; keep track of who's traveling when and where, and whether travel dollars are being spent wisely. For more information, please visit www.tripit.com and follow @TripIt at http://twitter.com/tripit.

SOURCE Concur