annual travel survey

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National Travel Survey

Statistics and data about the National Travel Survey, based on a household survey to monitor trends in personal travel.

National Travel Survey Statistics 2022 User Engagement Exercise

The National Travel Survey (NTS) statistics team carried out a review of NTS publication tables, guided by the focus on the different types of NTS statistics users. This was to better understand how NTS data are used, whether some publication tables can be discontinued and whether other information collected within the NTS questionnaire or travel diary would be useful to have regularly published. This exercise has resulted in some NTS publication tables being discontinued (data is still collected), some modified and new ones added.

For more information on the NTS statistics 2022 User Engagement Exercise including details of which tables have been discontinued and which new tables have been added, please see Future developments for the National Travel Survey .

National Travel Survey Statistics Table Finder

Use the Transport Statistics finder to explore and discover the latest statistics and report published by the National Travel Survey statistics team, and the rest of the Department for Transport (DfT).

You can use the search functions in the finder to explore, download and view all the statistical content the department has published.

Latest National Travel Survey statistics

National Travel Survey (NTS) is a household survey designed to monitor long-term trends in personal travel and to inform the development of policy. It is the primary source of data on personal travel patterns by residents of England within Great Britain.

The survey collects information on how, why, when and where people travel as well as factors affecting travel (for example, car availability and driving licence holding).

Guidance on current and previous National Travel Survey statistics are available.

• 14 December 2023
• National statistics

National Travel Survey data tables

A range of new ad-hoc pieces of analysis have also been published which can be found on Ad-hoc National Travel Survey analysis .

• 30 August 2023
• Statistical data set

About the National Travel Survey data and reports

National Travel Survey data collection consists of a face-to-face interview and a 7 day self-completed written travel diary, allowing travel patterns to be linked with individual characteristics. The survey covers travel by people in all age groups, including children. Approximately 16,000 individuals in 7,000 households in England, participate in the survey each year.

• 5 August 2020
• 31 August 2022
• 29 March 2018

National Travel Survey for the year 2022 added.

National Travel Survey 2021 added.

National Travel Survey 2020 added to the collection.

National Travel Survey 2019, National Statistics designation and pre-release access pages added to collection.

Updated for NTS 2018 publication.

New release published.

Request for feedback for NTS questionnaire changes added to the page.

New release published and text updated.

First published.

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Citywide Mobility Survey

NYC DOT conducts a robust annual travel survey called the Citywide Mobility Survey (CMS). Launched in 2017, it seeks to assess the travel behavior, preferences, and attitudes of New York City residents. Annual reports with results from each year’s survey, as well as accompanying datasets, are available below.

Over 3,000 New Yorkers are surveyed each year, with approximately 300 respondents from each of the ten survey zones. The survey zones are made up of neighborhood tabulation areas (NTAs), which means that standard Census and American Community Survey (ACS) geographies can nest within the survey zones.

Annual Reports

NYC DOT’s consultants produce a summary report with key statistics from each survey. You can view the reports by clicking the links below:

2020 Reports

In 2020, NYC DOT conducted a modified version of the CMS called the Citywide Mobility Survey: Transportation Impacts from COVID-19. The purpose of this survey was to better understand how New Yorkers’ travel choices and preferences were changing, both in the short and long term, as a result of COVID-19.

• October 2020
• 2019 Report
• 2018 Report
• 2017 Report

We also encourage you to view NYC DOT's Mobility Report , which uses the survey results to provide context to changing travel patterns in New York City.

For those who want to create custom tabulations of the survey data, the data are available on NYC Open Data . The survey questionnaire, user guide, and data dictionary are included as attachments with each dataset.

• Person Table
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• Trips Table
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2024 Summer Travel Report

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The days are getting longer and hotter, and millions of Americans are making plans for summer vacation. According to NerdWallet’s annual summer travel survey, nearly half of Americans (45%) plan to take a trip that requires a flight or hotel stay this summer, and they’ll spend $3,594, on average, on these expenses. That’s over 118 million Americans spending a total of more than $424 billion on airfare and hotel stays in summer 2024.

The survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults, conducted online by The Harris Poll and commissioned by NerdWallet, asked those traveling this summer how they plan to save on trip expenses and whether they plan to rack up credit card debt on their vacation costs. Of those surveyed, 931 say they plan to take a trip that requires a flight or hotel stay this summer; they’ll be referred to as “summer travelers” throughout this report.

Key findings

One-fifth of summer travelers plan to go into debt for vacation: 1 in 5 summer travelers (20%) say they’ll use a credit card to pay for their travel expenses, but won’t pay off the balance within the first billing statement. Instead, they’ll carry over the balance, possibly racking up costly interest charges.

Travelers are taking steps to save: The majority of summer travelers (91%) are taking action to save money on their travel expenses, like driving instead of flying to their destination (42%). This is up since 2023 when 35% of summer travelers said this, perhaps due to falling gas prices over the past couple of years.

Some nontravelers are opting out due to inflation: Of Americans who say they aren’t taking a summer vacation that requires a flight or hotel stay this year, more than 1 in 5 (22%) say it’s because inflation has made travel too expensive. Last year, 23% of non-summer travelers said this, suggesting that the high inflation of 2022 is still weighing on consumers.

Events are taking some out of town this summer: We asked Americans who are spending at least one night away from home this summer what they’re traveling for. Of them, 12% say they’ll travel for a concert, 8% for a wedding and 4% for a bachelor or bachelorette party.

“Millions of Americans are hitting the road this summer, with many opting to drive to their summer destinations, which may be a more affordable option than flying,” says Sally French, a NerdWallet travel expert and spokesperson. “But the high cost of travel due to inflation is still holding some back.”

Some going into debt to pay for summer travel

The majority of summer travelers (83%) plan to pay for at least part of their vacation expenses — airfare or hotel stays — with a credit card, but not all of them have plans to pay it off right away. According to the survey, 20% of summer travelers plan to use a credit card for these expenses but won’t pay off the expenses in full within the first billing statement.

The most recent data from the St. Louis Fed shows that average credit card interest on accounts assessing interest is 22.75%. To put that in perspective, for each $1,000 you carry on a credit card per year, that’s around $228 in interest.

Aim to reduce interest charges

There are still a few months before summer, so even if you’ve already charged some of your travel expenses, there’s still time to reduce those interest costs. Scour your budget to see where there’s room to cut back, and divert extra money toward paying off travel expenses already on your credit card or saving up the cash to pay those future credit card charges.

If it’s not possible to get interest down prior to your trip, and you aren’t considering changing your travel plans, figure out how you can pay the charges as quickly as possible. Credit card debt is some of the most expensive consumer debt you can carry, and the high interest rates can make it more challenging to pay off.

“To pay off debt faster and minimize interest charges, make a plan you can reasonably stick to,” French says. “If possible, bump up your monthly payments. Even a small increase, like rounding your payment up to the nearest hundred dollars, or taking money received as gifts or from side hustles and applying it to debt, can help.”

Travelers are taking action to save money on summer vacation

There are plenty of options for getting trip costs down, and most summer travelers (91%) are taking steps to do just that. The top two money-saving measures are driving instead of flying to their destination (42%) and choosing a hotel/motel/resort based on price instead of amenities (39%).

More than a third of summer travelers (35%) will use credit card points/miles to cover expenses. This can be a great option to save money and use up accumulated points that might otherwise lose value over time.

Assess points and make a plan to use them

It’s tempting to save up your travel rewards for your dream vacation. But if that’s not in the near future, it’s a good idea to look at the points and miles you have and use them sooner rather than later. Over time, rewards can become less valuable, so if you’re saving them for a nebulous future trip, you may get less bang for your point.

“NerdWallet recommends saving in most scenarios — but saving travel rewards points is not one of them,” French says. “Points inflation is very real. Unless you’re saving for a specific redemption, it’s generally best to spend them on travel you’d otherwise pay cash for now.”

If you’re looking to rack up points for next year’s summer vacation, you may want to look into travel rewards credit cards with sign-up bonuses . Credit cards can be a great tool to earn rewards that make travel cheaper, but only if you plan to pay them off by the due date. Carrying credit card debt for the points generally results in paying more in interest than you’re earning in rewards.

Some nontravelers cite inflation as a reason for staying home

2022 was a year of high inflation, and while the U.S. inflation rate is getting closer to the targeted 2%, the dramatic price increases are still having an impact on consumer spending. Among those who aren’t planning on taking a summer vacation that requires a flight or hotel stay, more than one-fifth (22%) say it’s because inflation has made travel too expensive. Nearly as many nontravelers (19%) say that inflation has made their other expenses too expensive, so they can’t afford to take a summer vacation.

Around 1 in 6 nontravelers (17%) are still planning on getting away this summer, just not in a way that requires a flight or hotel stay. We asked what sorts of events are taking Americans away from home for at least one night this summer.

Some are traveling for concerts, weddings this summer

The vast majority of Americans (88%) say they’ll spend at least one night away from home this summer, whether or not this trip requires a flight or hotel stay. For many, this means a vacation with others or solo, but some are also traveling to attend events, like a concert (12%) or wedding (8%).

A hefty 22% of Generation Zers (ages 18-27) plan to travel at least one night away from home this summer for a concert. Perhaps they’re making plans to attend a summer music festival, or maybe they’re jetting off to Europe for the ongoing Eras Tour .

Start saving for next year’s summer vacation plans

No matter what your travel plans are, it’s a good idea to save up in advance to avoid going into credit card debt. If you can estimate what next year’s travel expenses will cost you, you can use a savings goal calculator to determine how much you need to save each month. You can also earmark a windfall — like a tax refund — specifically for summer travel plans.

Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of NerdWallet from Jan. 30 - Feb. 1, 2024, among 2,092 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 931 will take a vacation that requires a flight or hotel stay this summer. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected] .

Summer travel is defined as June, July and August 2024, for the purposes of this survey.

NerdWallet disclaims, expressly and impliedly, all warranties of any kind, including those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose or whether the article’s information is accurate, reliable or free of errors. Use or reliance on this information is at your own risk, and its completeness and accuracy are not guaranteed. The contents in this article should not be relied upon or associated with the future performance of NerdWallet or any of its affiliates or subsidiaries. Statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as indicated by words such as “believes,” “expects,” “estimates,” “may,” “will,” “should” or “anticipates” or similar expressions. These forward-looking statements may materially differ from NerdWallet’s presentation of information to analysts and its actual operational and financial results.

On a similar note...

Readers’ Choice Awards 2021: The Year in Travel Survey Results

By Caitlin Morton and CNT Editors

We knew our annual Readers’ Choice Awards survey would look a little different this year. With most of us stuck at home during the voting period, the 2021 list reflects the places that travelers yearned for the most and the ways in which the tourism industry has slowly begun to reopen. To reflect the unique circumstances that defined the past year, we added a brand-new section to the survey: “Year in Travel,” a set of questions to assess how the COVID-19 pandemic affected your travel plans in 2020 and how it continues to impact your outlook on travel in 2021 (and beyond). More than 20,000 readers responded, giving us a fascinating glimpse at your past, present, and future travel habits.

The results are enlightening, to say the least. Peruse some of the most interesting takeaways below—we hope it validates some of your own opinions and gives you inspiration for prospective travel plans. Because even as we continue to navigate our way through this pandemic, we’re all thinking about where to go next .

Almost all trips were affected by the pandemic

A whopping 89 percent of voters said they had travel plans that were affected by COVID last year, whether you had to personally postpone a trip or had an airline or hotel cancel your reservations. Unfortunate, but not too surprising.

But a lot of you still traveled in 2020

Despite all the travel restrictions , border closings, and stay-at-home orders, most of you still managed to enjoy at least one leisure trip since March 2020—82 percent of voters, to be exact. A smaller, but still impressive, amount of readers took at least two leisure trips (40 percent), and 5 percent took more than seven leisure trips. (Who are you, and what is your secret?) While 60 percent of readers stuck to domestic trips, 23 percent of you managed to travel internationally last year.

The pandemic obviously changed many aspects of leisure travel for the worse—closed businesses and strict curfews, for example—but some of you were able to find the silver lining. “While business travel was almost entirely eliminated, my few personal trips, while slightly more challenging, were unique due to the lack of crowds,” one reader wrote. “While I would never want to repeat 2020 again, there were some pleasant surprises from time to time in my travels.”

Road trips and solo travel reigned supreme

As more and more flights got canceled and more and more international borders closed to foreigners, road trips became the sleeper hit of 2020. Cars were the most frequently used mode of transportation (44 percent), followed by planes (39 percent). Only 2 percent of voters arrived at their destination via cruise ship.

“This year was about low-key road trips,” wrote one reader. “To manage pandemic restrictions, we looked for rentals with kitchens, drove for all but one trip, stayed relatively close to home, and tried to stay in self-contained properties.”

Another rising trend in the travel world? Solo trips . “I took a trip to Costa Rica with a friend who had to leave early for a COVID-related reason, and I ended up staying two months on my own,” wrote another reader. “So I discovered that I can solo travel by accident. Before it wasn’t something I would have even considered.” Fourteen percent of other survey-takers also took solo trips in 2020, while 5 percent chose solo travel as their first priority once travel bans were lifted over options like visiting a new destination or reuniting with family and friends.

WFH got a lot more interesting

It’s no secret that remote work became one of the biggest byproducts of the pandemic, giving millions of people who had never worked outside of an office building a taste of digital nomad life. There are obvious pros (increased productivity, no commute) and cons (inconsistent Wi-Fi, navigating different time zones) to working remotely, and our readers are split pretty evenly over whether or not they want to permanently adopt that lifestyle. About 48 percent of voters don’t have the flexibility to work outside of the office, while 52 percent have considered working remotely overseas since the COVID-19 pandemic began.

What’s in store for 2022 (and beyond)

Almost all of our voters (91 percent) said their travel habits have shifted because of COVID-19, affecting how they intend to approach vacations moving forward. When it comes to how travel priorities may change once the pandemic is under control, our readers were split among three options: planning a bucket list trip , planning a multi-destination trip, and taking more trips than they had previously taken before. In fact, 79 percent currently have some sort of trip already planned and booked. Cheers to a new year of adventures!

For more of our Readers' Choice Awards, see all the survey results here .

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FHWA Home / Policy & Governmental Affairs / Highway Policy Information / National Household Travel Survey (NHTS)

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National Household Travel Survey (NHTS)

New 2022 nextgen nhts core data now available.

Conducted by the Federal Highway Administration since 1969, the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) is the authoritative source on the travel behavior of the American public. It is the only source of national data that allows one to analyze trends in personal and household travel. It includes daily non-commercial travel by all modes, including characteristics of the people traveling, their household, and their vehicles. FHWA has completed the 2022 NHTS data collection with special focus on equity and those data are now available at:  https://nhts.ornl.gov/

Introduction to the NHTS

The NHTS is a periodic national survey used to assist transportation planners and policy makers who need comprehensive data on travel and transportation patterns in the U.S. The 2022 survey data along with historical data from the 2017, 2009, and 2001 NHTS, and the former Nationwide Personal Transportation Surveys (NPTS) of 1983, 1990, and 1995, are available at the NHTS website:  https://nhts.ornl.gov/ .

The NHTS/NPTS serves as the nation's inventory of daily travel. Data is collected on daily trips taken by households and individuals in those households, over a 24-hour period, and includes:

• purpose of the trip (work, shopping, social, etc.)
• means of transportation (car, walk, bus, subway, etc.)
• travel time of trip
• time of day/day of week

These details are collected for all trips, modes, purposes, trip lengths, and all areas of the country, urban and rural.

Uses of Surveys:

• quantify travel behavior
• analyze changes in travel characteristics over time, and
• study the relationship of demographic and travel over time
• examine the impact of emerging transportation services

For more information, go to the NHTS website .

NHTS Resources

NHTS Products, Publications

NHTS Program Newsletters ( https://nhts.ornl.gov/publications

2022 NHTS Weighted Vehicle Occupancy factors

Moving Forward: The NextGen NHTS

The NextGen NHTS program focuses on providing national travel behavior data on a more frequent basis than prior NHTS efforts. This effort includes moving to a biennial household travel survey and adding annual passive original destination (OD) truck and passenger data products at the national level.

Core Data Program: The NHTS was redesigned to be shorter and more focused. Conducted by Ipsos, the survey will collect data from 7,500 randomly sampled households and 7,500 households that are part of Ipsos’s Knowledge Panel. The survey is currently in field and will capture details on travel behavior from January 2022 through January 2023.

National passive OD data products: The NextGen NHTS also features an OD data component. The OD data contractor (University of Maryland) will be providing national passenger and truck OD data annually for calendar years 2020 through 2024.

To download the 2020 national passenger and truck OD data products or to use a convenient online tool, go to https://nhts.ornl.gov/od . Other online resources include the following:

• Quick start video (.mp4)
• Method document (passenger) (.pdf)
• Method document (truck) (.pdf)

The national passive OD data products summarize travel within and across 583 zones. A map of the zone structure can be found at https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/analysisframework/04.cfm .

NextGen NHTS pooled-fund program

FHWA has established a pooled-fund program to support shared research into travel behavior data as well as provide a contracting mechanism for agencies to purchase additional samples as part of the survey effort and/or more refined geography in the passenger OD data product. For more information, see https://pooledfund.org/Details/Study/651

New NextGen NHTS Origin Destination Data Release

FHWA has released the latest NextGen NHTS data and information. Please visit the Latest NextGen NHTS Data page to learn more. The two datasets are comprised of the traditional NHTS core data associated with why, how, and when people travel and the new comprehensive national multimodal origin- destination estimation (OD) travel data through 583 zones. The OD data includes both between zones (interzonal) and within a single zone (intrazonal) travel. The core data includes both the sample data and weighted data. Both datasets are also supported by online data analysis and visualization tools.

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Please direct all questions and comments to [email protected] .

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• THE RESULTS ARE IN: The 2023 Family Travel Association (FTA) Annual Family Travel Survey

The 2023 Family Travel Association (FTA) Annual Family Travel Survey Highlights Post-Pandemic Trends, Positive Attitudes, and Opportunities for Growth

New York, NY – October 25, 2023 – Today, the Family Travel Association (FTA) released findings from its 2023 U.S. Family Travel Survey on family travel trends.  Produced in partnership with the NYU School of Professional Studies (NYU SPS) Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality and Edinburgh Napier University, the survey polled over 3,300 parents and grandparents about their travel plans, behaviors and attitudes, and summarizes a variety of travel trends in the industry.

The results show that the family-travel market will continue the robust growth it has enjoyed since the end of the pandemic — 81% of parents said they are likely to travel with their children in the next year, and many families are planning to increase (or at minimum, maintain) their level of travel spending.  Despite these strong spending forecasts, affordability is said to be a challenge to family travel by 59% of parent respondents.

One trend that remains strong:  interest in travel advisors for trip planning - 38% of parents have used a travel advisor to book at least one family trip in the past three years and 71% of parents indicate that they are willing to use a travel advisor in the coming years, which is an increase over 2022.

Large family groups are a big contributor to the market growth, with over 50% of parents saying they are planning to travel with grandparents and children.  The top choice for “multi-generational” travel (grandparents, parents, and children) continues to be beach vacations. Whereas “skip-generational” travel (children and grandparents, without the parents present) lean towards museums and cultural attractions.

According to Peter Bopp, Director of Research for the FTA, families are increasingly aware of the positive impacts of travel.  “This year we probed parents on their children’s recovery from the pandemic and what role family travel plays in helping that recovery—88% of parents reported that family travel is helpful to their children in overcoming some of the lingering impacts of the pandemic.  In addition, 84% of parents reported that family travel helps make their children more adaptable and open to new experiences, 62% say that it gives them a more positive outlook on life, and 61% say it helps them with their social skills.”

Lynn Minnaert, Professor and Head of Subject, Tourism and Languages, Edinburgh Napier University and co-author of the survey, also notes: “Our survey shows that parents plan to maintain or increase their spending on family travel in the coming year. However, despite this strong forecast, we see families are starting to express concerns about affordability and the rising cost of travel, and that they are starting to change their travel behaviors. For example, 50% of our respondents say they will avoid hotels and airlines that charge extra fees, 49% say they will pay closer attention to cancellation and refund policies, and 36% say they will choose more affordable accommodations than they did in the past.”

In addition, each year, the U.S. Family Travel Survey asks respondents to rate the travel industry on how well it serves the needs of traveling families.  This year, they gave the industry at B+ (better than last year) and noted several areas of friction they would like to see addressed:

• The challenge and added cost of being seated together on flights
• The scarcity of family rooms or connected rooms in hotels
• The high cost of family travel, and the desire for lower-cost options and discounts
• The need to improve the quality and level of service across the industry (with regular reference to the labor shortage across the sector)
• The dislike of hidden fees and charges that make pricing lack transparency.

"Being a parent of two young kids, it's empowering to see that family travel has positive impacts on the social-emotional development of children, while also helping to offset many negative lingering effects of the pandemic,” said Anna Abelson, Adjunct Instructor at the NYU SPS Tisch Center of Hospitality. “Parents deal with many anxieties in children and young people, and family travel is a valuable parenting tool for tackling these and other issues. For example, the survey revealed that family travel makes children less isolated (58%), encourages them to be more adventurous with food (48%), and makes them more comfortable around strangers (44%). It's hard to overestimate the role of family travel."

The 2023 US Family Travel Survey represents responses from more than 3,000 parents and grandparents in the U.S. and was conducted in the Summer of 2023 by the Family Travel Association (FTA) and the NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, in partnership with Edinburgh Napier University, and with support from Telecharge, The Shubert Organization, Trafalgar Tours/The Travel Corporation Family of Brands, and Club Med (prize partner). This is the eighth year for the annual survey, and this year’s sample included a larger percentage of respondents in higher income brackets with more advanced educational backgrounds than in prior editions.

A summary of the survey highlights includes:

• International family travel is making a strong comeback post-pandemic.
• Beach vacations (54%), visiting family and friends (49%) and visiting museums and cultural attractions (41%) are the three most common family travel types.
• The most common booking window (33%) for booking a family trip is two or three months before departure .
• Summer remains the most popular travel season, followed by spring break
• When asked in which type of accommodations they planned to stay in the coming year, hotels were the most-selected answer (84%). Resorts come in second at 50%, and vacation rentals third at 47%.
• Domestically, the most popular states for family travel are California, Florida, Hawaii and New York .
• 71% of respondents indicate that they are willing to use a travel advisor for their family travel needs in the next two years, which is an increase over 2022 (52%). These findings indicate that the position of travel advisors in the family travel space is strong.
• 80% of respondents agree that travel has helped their children see the world from a broader perspective, 67% agree that their children have become more interested in other cultures because of their travel experiences, and 62% that travel has helped their children to be more confident.
• 88% of parents feel that family travel is helpful to their children in overcoming some of the lingering impacts of the pandemic.
• 50% of parents say they will avoid hotels and airlines that charge extra fees .
• Over half of the grandparent respondents (54%) say that they plan and organize their multi-generational travel experiences.
• Over three quarters of the grandparent respondents (79%) say that they plan and organize their skip-generational travel experiences.
• Hotels are the most common lodging option (53%) for multi-generational travel, followed by vacation rentals (43%) and resorts (31%).
• 76% of respondents plan to travel internationally with their children in the next two years. Europe is the most popular continent for family vacations (1. Italy; 2. United Kingdom; 3. France), Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean also remain popular.

For more information and to access a copy of the survey, download here or contact the Family Travel Association:  [email protected]

About the Family Travel Association: The Family Travel Association is a coalition of hundreds of travel agents, media professionals, travel industry suppliers, tourism boards/CVBs and destination management companies dedicated to helping families discover the possibilities travel affords them.  Learn More

About the NYU SPS Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality The NYU School of Professional Studies Jonathan M. Tisch Center of Hospitality, now celebrating 28 years of academic excellence, is a leading center for the study of hospitality, travel, and tourism. Founded in 1995, the Tisch Center was established in response to the growing need for hospitality and tourism undergraduate and graduate education. Its cutting-edge curricula attract bright, motivated students who seek to become leaders in their fields.The Tisch Center recently launched the Hospitality Innovation Hub (HI Hub), which will foster entrepreneurship and creative solutions for the industries it serves. For more information,  visit  sps.nyu.edu/tisch .

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How to build business travel surveys travelers will actually take

Asking business travelers what they think is an effective way to get the insights you need to build a strong corporate travel program and improve policies already in place.

By Liudmila Buga

February 9, 2024

Creating winning business travel survey questions is one of the secrets to optimizing your corporate travel program. Rolling out travel surveys will help you identify your program’s shortcomings so that you can have a stronger, more agile travel program for all your business travelers.

Building surveys with the goal of taking the key learnings and improving the overall experience for everyone involved is crucial since happy travelers mean productive travelers. So, let’s take a look at the  10 key steps you can use to implement winning business travel surveys.

Step 1: Set the goals for your corporate travel survey questions

When it comes time to designing a survey,  make sure you have a goal in mind.  For example: as you consider resuming or expanding your travel program, your goal might be to understand your traveler’s new working approach while traveling for business. Keep the goal in mind when planning your questions.

No matter whether your goal is to  optimize your travel policies , to help your travelers make the most of their business trips, or to simply get a feel for the health of your corporate travel program,  having a goal in mind will make your surveys more effective.  

Step 2: Define stakeholder and survey review process

Involve relevant stakeholders in the survey process, from helping to build the questions, to reviewing the data insights extracted from it. You might Implicate colleagues in technology, data analysis, travel risk management, meetings, or finance who can help you with different aspects of the process. In the case of data analysts, they can help you better understand and utilize the data that is derived from the business travel survey.

Step 3: K.I.S.S. Keep it simple and specific

Keep the travel survey length and questions short and straightforward. No one will want to answer surveys that are too long, so  the fewer the corporate travel survey questions, the better.  Our insider experts suggest creating surveys that take no longer than eight minutes to complete. The questions should offer a range or scale of response options as open-ended questions take more time to answer and are harder to quantify. 

Step 4: Select a user-friendly survey tool 

We’ll leave it up to you to decide what survey platform to go with, since there are tons of suitable options out there. Just keep in mind to check reviews and make sure the tool is intuitive. It should meet your needs for the types of questions you wish to ask and offer built-in analytics capabilities. You should  spend time creating great questions instead of trying to get your platform to work. 

Step 5: Plan survey frequency and timing

Survey your travelers as often as you need to, but don’t overwhelm them.   Your survey frequency should depend on your goals. If the travelers are engaged and highly motivated (e.g., by incentives) they may have more incentive to participate monthly. Monitor responses and adjust survey plans accordingly.

Distribute the business travel survey questions when it makes the most sense

For example you may consider launching a business travel survey prior to travel policy rollouts or changes; following the rollouts to gauge effectiveness; or before major events or holidays where the targeted audience is likely to miss the survey communication.

Decide how long your survey should remain open

The best practice for the GetGoing internal research team is  generally a two-week survey window.  Send reminders three days to one week after the survey opens. If the response is underwhelming, it’s okay to send a gentle reminder email. Don’t forget: a catchy subject line with a call to action is always a good idea.

Step 6: Test it

Practice makes perfect , and this rule most definitely applies to business travel surveys. Make sure you pass along the survey “practice test” to your colleagues, to look out for content or formatting mistakes, unclear questions or responses, and overall practicality. This will help work out any kinks before you actually launch the questionnaire. 

Step 7: Report back

Grow confidence in your business travel program, by sharing survey results and demonstrating how they’ll be put into practice across your organization. Organize this report by writing a short summary of your findings, including visuals to support key data and help put the survey results in context.

Step 8: Think long term 

To help get an optimal number of responses each time you send a survey, focus on creating a diverse audience in terms of geolocation, language, gender, age, and tenure. The better your survey participants represent the actual company of business travelers, the more relevant your insights.

Keep in mind that this global representation won’t happen after a single survey. It will improve over time, especially if you can demonstrate how your survey insights directly influence travel program policies.

Step 9: Make it worthwhile

Encourage participants to take the survey by offering some form of incentives ,  such as recognition badges, gifts, discounts, or entering them into a sweepstakes to win a prize. Make sure your invitations and incentives are targeted to the right traveler profiles. Otherwise, you might attract less helpful attention from go-getters searching for freebies. 

Step 10: Review, refine and repeat

Once you have reached a shared understanding of the results, it’s important to review, refine and repeat the process. Surveys are an iterative process, meaning that it involves building, improving and refining. There is no such thing as a perfect survey or marketing campaign, so be sure you learn and refine as you go. After all, practice makes perfect. 

What did you learn about business travel survey questions?

Now that we’ve gone over the 10 steps to create a winning survey with the right corporate travel survey questions, you have all that’s necessary to nail your business travel program. Surveys give you a hand in obtaining valuable information of a large sample of individuals in a limited time and with limited resources required. 

Looking for more ways to optimize your travel program?  Contact GetGoing  and we’ll help you get traveling. 

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Data & Statistics

Air travelers in america: annual survey.

“Air Travelers in America” is A4A’s annual survey, conducted by Ipsos, collecting vital statistics about air travel. The most recent such poll, conducted January 4-12, 2024, screened a national sample of 3,452 adults (age 18 or older) to identify those who have “ever flown on an airplane” via the probability-based Ipsos KnowledgePanel®. Click here for the March 2024 survey summary: “Air Travelers in America: Key Findings of a Survey Conducted by Ipsos.”

Beginning in the early 1970s, the Air Transport Association of America (now known as Airlines for America) partnered with Gallup to poll the American public, by phone, with respect to air travel. The last such study was conducted in 1998. In late 2015, A4A relaunched the annual survey in partnership with premier online polling firm Ipsos.

Note: Historical survey results suggest that approximately half of the airline trips taken by Americans in the 1970s and 1980s were for business purposes. In recent years, that split has gravitated toward 25-30 percent business and 70-75 percent personal.

Methodology

This survey was partially conducted using the Ipsos KnowledgePanel, the most well-established online probability-based panel that is representative of the adult U.S. population. Panelists are recruited into this invitation-only panel via postal mailings to a random selection of residential addresses. To ensure that non-internet households are included, Ipsos provides an internet-enabled tablet to those who need them. Additional sample was obtained using a non-probability sample with a quota design to increase the overall study sample size and allow for analyses of subpopulation groups of interest.

Historical Survey Results re: Fraction of American Population That Flew

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Despite COVID-19 Concerns, Many Boomers Plan to Travel in 2021

Aarp 2021 travel trends.

by Vicki Levy, AARP Research , February 2021

Read the Detailed Findings

• 2021 Travel Trends (Report, PDF)
• Annotated Questionnaire: Travelers (PDF)
• Annotated Questionnaire: Nontravelers (PDF)
• More Reports from AARP Research

AARP’s annual travel trends survey reflected the stark reality of COVID-19’s impact in upending 2020 travel plans and how it continues to disrupt travel itineraries for 2021. While for many travel is “just an idea,” it’s also one they hope that, with time and a vaccine, will soon be realized. 

Emerging optimism for 2021 is apparent, the survey revealed, especially among boomers (people ages 56–74) who haven’t given up on their bucket lists and dreams of seeing the world. Just over half of boomers (54%) plan to travel in 2021, and they are actively selecting destinations, booking accommodations, and scrutinizing COVID-19 safety protocols, the survey found. Among those looking to travel, most said they are “hopeful” and “excited” at the prospect.

A small, but avid group of cruisers (13% of traveling boomers) plan to take to the seas and waterways, with 82% of those cruising voyages already booked.

COVID-19 Safety Takes Precedence 

Public health concerns have surpassed cost as the biggest barrier to traveling. The survey found that 41% of boomers believe that travel during the pandemic is unsafe, and 47% who intend to travel will do so only if a vaccine is available. A strong majority (74%) also said that COVID-19 travel restrictions have prevented or will prevent them from taking all the trips they would like to take in 2021.

Still, travel-hungry boomers are arming themselves with knowledge. They are researching safety protocols, state quarantine regulations, what businesses and sites are open at their intended destination, and how accommodation and transportation providers are responding to safety concerns.

Remaining Cautious

Beyond understanding the regulations, boomer travelers are taking precautions in every aspect of the planning process. Seven in ten know that travel in 2021 will differ from travel in past years. Instead of jetting off to crowded international hotspots, they are more likely to take domestic road trips and visit only with immediate family.

Nearly a quarter of boomers (23%) who are making travel plans for 2021 did not travel at all in 2020. Many are motivated to travel in 2021 by a desire to reconnect with loved ones: More than half (57%) said that they are planning a trip in 2021 to spend time with friends or family. 

Fully refundable tickets/reservations is the most enticing incentive for would-be travelers. When asked what would ease travel concerns, a whopping 84% of boomer travelers chose “fully refundable tickets.” Notably, “mandatory mask wearing” would ease concerns for 79% of boomer travelers.

Nontravelers Highlight Safety Concerns

For the first time, AARP included nontravelers in its study to get a sense of when they might return to traveling. These boomers aren’t opposed to travel — 19% are already watching for travel bargains — but they are acutely attuned to the risks of the pandemic.

Among boomers who said that they are not planning to travel, 93% percent said fear of COVID-19 was the reason, and 84% said any future travel would be dependent on a vaccine. About half said they didn’t know when they will resume traveling.

These boomers said that they were not making plans for personal travel; however, many (40%) said they anticipate some obligatory travel in 2021 for business trips, caregiving, and other purposes.

Travel Savings Grow

Unlike younger generations, boomers may be stockpiling money earmarked for travel, keeping it handy for use at the right time. Younger generations were more likely to have spent unused 2020 travel funds on home improvements or restaurant food delivery and take out, but boomers (58%) were more likely to have set aside unused travel funds for future getaways. Even a majority (57%) of nontraveling boomers said that they would save money for a trip after the pandemic.

Boomers also anticipate outspending younger generations. They expect to spend $6,691 on average for 2021, while Gen X travelers expect to spend about $5,000 and millennials $4,000. 

Methodology

The 15-minute online survey was conducted November 9–21, 2020 among 1,499 adults age 23 and older, who have taken at least one trip 50 miles or more away from home, with at least a two-night stay, in the past two years. Respondents also had an intent to travel for personal pleasure in 2021. The first 500 respondents who, after being screened in the Travel Trends survey, reported no plans for personal (nonbusiness) travel in 2021 were sent to an alternate 10-minute survey, which provided the nontraveler survey data. Final data have been weighted to U.S. Census for analysis by generation.

For more information, please contact Vicki Levy at [email protected] . For media inquiries, please contact [email protected] .

Coronavirus Update

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests postponing travel and staying home as the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19.  For more information, visit the CDC website .

For more information on coronavirus and travel, please visit Coronavirus and Travel: What You Should Know.

Suggested citation:

Levy, Vicki. 2021 Travel Trends, Washington, DC: February 2021.  https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00430.001

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RIVERWOODS, Ill.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--After a year stuck at home, the majority of U.S. consumers, 70%, say they want to start traveling again, with more than 50% planning one to two vacations in the next six months, according to Discover’s annual travel survey.

Following a stressful and socially distant year, 66% of consumers are planning trips between one to six days in length and report their top reasons for wanting to take a vacation are:

• to relax, 37%
• visit family and friends, 18%
• and experience a change of scenery, 10%

Of those looking to spend time with family, Boomers lead the charge, 28%, compared to 18% of Gen X, 12% of millennials and 9% of Gen Z. The survey found Gen Z is looking for adventure while traveling, 21%, compared to 12% of millennials, 10% of Gen X and 7% of Boomers.

When polled in April, 42% of consumers said they already felt comfortable traveling, and 12% said they would feel comfortable traveling when vaccines were widely available to everyone in the U.S.

“It’s clear consumers have a strong desire to travel again as we head into the summer months and the economic recovery continues,” said Jacob Ayoub, vice president of consumer and competitive insights at Discover. “We know travel trends and consumer needs are going to continue to shift, but it’s important to note that right now U.S. consumers are considering costs, flexibility, and the spread of COVID-19 while traveling.”

Health and safety top of mind for travelers

Eighty percent of consumers say it’s important to find travel accommodations with strict COVID-19 hygiene protocols – and it appears this trend isn’t going away.

In the next six months, 74% of consumers reported they will continue to prioritize the cleanliness rating of their accommodation when deciding where to stay. Consumers also said they’re more likely to splurge on pricey accommodations and travel options if it means they have strict COVID-19 hygiene protocols, 50%, and consumers also say they are more likely to invest in priority travel passes to avoid crowds, 49%.

When it comes to wearing masks, nearly two in three consumers say they will continue to wear them while traveling, even after it’s no longer required. Of those wearing masks, 39% say they’ll continue to wear them in public spaces, like a hotel or resort, and 36% say they will wear masks when at a transportation hub, such as an airport or bus station.

Consumers favor cost-effective methods of travel that allow more control

When deciding where to vacation, consumers report the cost of their destination, 87%, and the flexibility of cancellation policies, 86%, are the most important factors, outranking the spread of COVID-19 variants, 80%, and the number of positive COVID-19 cases, 80%, in a destination area.

Sixty-two percent of consumers say they are hesitant to take modes of transportation where they have to be near others. Over half of U.S. consumers are planning to drive to their next destination, with just 39% reporting they’ll fly. Most consumers report plans to take a road trip in the next six months, 29%, followed by a beach vacation, 21%.

For six in 10 respondents, these trips may be closer to home as consumers say they’re more likely to travel locally than take large trips across the country.

Credit cards are the preferred payment method

Fifty-five percent of consumers cite credit cards as their preferred method of payment while on vacation – a 16 percentage point increase from Discover’s 2019 travel survey.

Additionally, given the pandemic’s impact on travel and the need to avoid touching as many surfaces as possible, 56% of consumers say they will leverage contactless payments more frequently while traveling.

With credit card points and rewards stacking up the past year, about one-third of consumers say they’re planning to redeem their rewards for vacation-related expenses.

“The flexibility of the Discover it® Miles card gives our cardmembers the ability to travel without being tied to specific brands or booking portals and based on their comfort level, whether that’s flying to their next destination or driving to a nearby getaway,” said Ayoub. “With rewards that can be redeemed as a statement credit for travel purchases, used toward paying off a bill or deposited directly into a bank account, cardmembers can redeem their Miles in ways that work for them.” 1

About the Survey

All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from a Dynata (formerly Research Now/SSI) survey conducted on behalf of Discover Financial Services. The survey was conducted online; fielded from April 23 - 28, 2021 with a total sample size of 2,000 US adults (ages 18+). The margin of sampling error was ±2 percentage points with a 90-95 percent level of confidence. The following generational breaks were used when examining the data: Gen Z (18-22), Millennials (23-38), Gen X (39-54), and Baby Boomers (55-73).

About Discover

Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a digital banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private student loans, personal loans, home loans, checking and savings accounts and certificates of deposit through its banking business. It operates the Discover Global Network comprised of Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance around the world. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company .

__________________________________________________________________________

1 Starting at 1 Mile, you can redeem your Miles as a credit to your account to pay for all or part of your bill, for cash as an electronic deposit to your bank account, or for a credit for Travel Purchases made on your statement within the last 180 days. Travel Purchases include airline tickets, hotel rooms, car rentals, travel agents, online travel sites, commuter transportation, restaurants and gas stations.

Jennifer Delgado Discover [email protected] 224-405-1484 @Discover_News

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IMG Releases Annual Travel Outlook Survey Results for 2024

INDIANAPOLIS (February 13, 2024) – IMG (International Medical Group), an award-winning global insurance benefits and assistance services company, has released the results of its annual Travel Outlook Survey that asked IMG customers about their 2024 travel plans.

The survey reveals that 96% of respondents plan to travel internationally in 2024, which is a continued increase over the last three years. Travelers are also planning on taking more international trips (in total) throughout the year, with 47% of respondents planning to travel internationally 3+ times in 2024, a 3% increase compared to 2023 survey results.

When asked about domestic U.S. travel plans for the year, 85% of respondents have at least one domestic trip planned in 2024, with 49% planning to travel domestically 3+ times during the year.

“It’s always exciting to hear firsthand from our customers how they plan to travel in the coming year so that we can identify evolving travel trends and continue to support them while they're away from home,” said Steve Paraboschi, IMG President and CEO. “While many thought ‘revenge travel’ was just a phenomenon of the past few years, we're continuing to see a growing demand for international and domestic travel in 2024, and IMG is poised to meet that demand with our award-winning travel and health safety solutions.”

Travel Outlook Survey Findings:

When ranking concerns about planning or taking a trip, survey results show that getting sick or having an accident during a trip continues to be the top concern for travelers in 2024. The second most concerning factor for travelers is needing to cancel their trip before leaving.

• Getting sick or having an accident while at your destination
• Needing to cancel your trip before you depart
• Issues getting to or from your destination
• Needing to interrupt your trip while at your destination

In 2023, there was a significant increase in travelers taking more expensive trips, and we expect this trend to continue as 58% of respondents plan to spend the same amount on travel in 2024 as they did in 2023. Another 28% of respondents said they plan to spend even more on travel this year than they did last year.

One emerging trend in 2024 is that travelers are increasingly taking food and cuisine options into consideration when choosing their next destination. According to survey results, activities, events, and attractions are most important to people when traveling, and cuisine was ranked as the second most important factor.

In 2024, 50% of all respondents are planning to travel for business. Of those respondents, 78% plan to participate in "bleisure travel," combining business and leisure travel, by adding personal vacation time before or after at least one business trip.

“For many years, we've provided assistance and insurance options to employers that allow them to meet duty of care standards for employees traveling for business, but the rise in 'bleisure travel' adds a new consideration for business travelers to ensure the leisure portion of their trip is properly protected,” said Justin Poehler, IMG Chief Commercial Officer. “IMG’s iTravedlInsured Travel Series offers travel protection plans designed to provide the coverage and confidence travelers need.”

Another increasingly popular travel trend in 2024 is multigenerational travel. Results show that 35% of families have a domestic or international trip planned with multiple generations (children, parents, and grandparents, etc.).

The most popular destinations respondents plan to travel to next in 2024 include Canada, Mexico, Japan, Italy, Spain, and Thailand—making the list for the first time since 2021.

About  IMG® ( International Medical Group®) IMG® (International Medical Group®), a SiriusPoint company, is an award-winning global insurance benefits and assistance services company that has served millions of members worldwide since its founding in 1990. The preeminent provider of travel and health safety solutions, IMG offers a wide range of insurance programs, including international private medical insurance, travel medical insurance, and travel insurance, as well as enterprise services, including insurance administrative services and 24/7 emergency medical, security, and travel assistance. IMG’s world-class services, combined with an extensive product portfolio, provide Global Peace of Mind® for travelers, students, missionaries, marine crews, and other individuals or groups traveling, working, or living away from home. For more information, please visit   www.imglobal.com .

Media Contact: Carly Kessler, IMG Public Relations Specialist, [email protected]

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Have your say on travel and transport at the University of Liverpool

The University has launched a new annual Travel Survey . The survey, which is open to all students, aims to gather information on travel habits, including how people travel to and from the University, how often they travel and what modes of transport they use. The survey will also seek opinions on sustainable travel schemes and initiatives.

The data collected from the surveys will be used to baseline scope 3 carbon emissions associated with travel; this is a critical step towards achieving our strategic goal to reach net zero by 2035. Scope 3 emissions are those that occur outside of the University’s direct control but are linked to its activities such as business and commuter travel. The surveys will run annually so that we can continually measure progress against this baseline.

The surveys will also help us to identify opportunities to expand and improve sustainable travel services, particularly cycling, walking, and public transport. This will not only reduce our carbon impact but will contribute towards improving the health and wellbeing of our students.

This is your opportunity to have your say on travel and transport at the University for the first time since 2019 so we strongly encourage you to participate – the surveys should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete and all responses will be anonymous, unless you choose to leave your details so that we can follow up with you.

Your responses have the power to make positive changes for yourself, your colleagues, students, and the wider city. We will also be donating £1 for every survey completed to our three Liv to Give charities: Alzheimer’s Society, Kids in Need and Distress (KIND) and Liverpool Domestic Abuse Service (LDAS). The total amount raised will be split equally between each charity.

The surveys are now live and will be open until 15 th May 2023. You can complete the survey using the following link: https://liverpool.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/student-travel-survey

For further information please contact the Environmental Sustainability Team by emailing [email protected]

• Student Featured 2
• Sustainability
• Travel Solutions

I'm a financial planner, and I'd recommend annual travel insurance to anyone who loves to travel abroad

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• Frequent and spontaneous travelers will likely benefit from annual travel insurance policies.
• Your credit card may come with some travel protections, but it may not be enough.
• When choosing a policy, look at what it covers, not just what's cheapest.

Summer is just a few months away — and if you're planning a vacation this year, the last thing you want is an unexpected event to derail your plans (and cost you hundreds).

Flights get delayed or canceled constantly. Luggage disappears into the ether. Medical emergencies occur in remote destinations. Yet many jetsetters simply cross their fingers and hope for the best rather than prepare for the worst.

That's why, as a financial planner, I believe it's crucial to consider protecting your trips with the right insurance coverage. One option often overlooked, particularly by frequent travelers, is annual travel insurance .

Annual travel insurance covers all your trips within 365 days. Unlike stand-alone travel insurance, which only covers you for a specific trip, an annual policy covers any trips you take within the year.

That's why I tell clients who travel frequently that an annual policy is a good choice for their needs. By opting for an annual plan, you don't have to go through the hassle of booking multiple policies and potentially save money compared to purchasing individual trip coverage. Here's how it works.

What to look for in a policy

While specifics may vary depending on the insurer and plan tier, most include the following key benefits:

• Trip cancellations or interruptions: You may be able to get reimbursed for expenses (even nonrefundable ones!) related to an illness, injury, or natural disaster that forced you to cancel or cut your trip short.
• Emergency medical and dental care: If you fall ill or get injured while traveling, your insurance can help cover the cost of medical treatment.
• Emergency evacuation: In a serious medical emergency or security situation, your policy will arrange and pay for transportation to a hospital or back to your home country.
• Lost, delayed, or damaged baggage: If your luggage is lost, delayed, or damaged during your trip, you can get financial coverage for essential items while you wait for your stuff to be recovered or replaced.
• Trip delays and missed connections: When your travel plans are disrupted due to issues like mechanical problems or severe weather, you may get reimbursement for additional expenses incurred, like meals, lodging, and transportation.

It's important to note that annual travel insurance plans have limitations. Certain high-risk activities, pre-existing medical conditions, and travel to specific regions may be restricted or require additional coverage.

Some travelers may assume that their credit card's built-in travel protections are enough. While many travel rewards credit cards offer perks like rental car insurance, trip cancellation, and baggage reimbursement, the coverage limits are often much lower than a dedicated annual travel insurance plan.

Credit card coverage for emergency medical care is also particularly limited — capped at a few thousand dollars — which may not be enough in the face of a major international medical emergency.

How much travel justifies an annual plan?

For the occasional traveler who takes one or two trips a year, single-trip policies will probably work for you. But if you fall into any of these buckets, you may want to consider an annual policy:

• Regular international travelers (three or more trips abroad yearly)
• Road warriors frequently away for work
• Adventurers engaging in high-risk activities like heli-skiing, scuba diving, or mountain climbing
• Cruisers and tour group travelers
• Students or retirees taking extended trips throughout the year
• Those visiting developing countries with limited medical care

Annual plans cover all of your trips within a 365-day period after purchasing. They're basically a bundle of multiple policies into one package deal. This means you only have to buy one policy to manage, locking in your coverage for the year.

How to decide if an annual policy makes sense for you

Start by reviewing your travel plans this year — and your risk tolerance. Calculate how much buying individual travel insurance policies would cost you over the next year and compare it to the price of an annual plan.

Don't just focus on the premium — carefully evaluate coverage limits, exclusions, and deductibles to ensure you have enough protection for your needs.

An annual policy gives you the flexibility to take spontaneous trips without the hassle of obtaining last-minute insurance. More importantly, it provides peace of mind, knowing that you're covered for a wide range of travel disruptions and emergencies.

As the busy summer travel season ramps up, definitely explore protecting your trips with insurance, especially if you're jetting off internationally. Spending hours on the phone trying to rebook canceled flights or worrying about affording an overseas medical emergency is no way to vacation.

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