Summer vacation: The time to do... nothing
washington/tennessee — Never mind the hike. Where’s the hammock?
A new poll about summer travel finds that the No.1 thing Americans want to do on vacation is... nothing.
Almost three-fourths of Americans say resting and relaxing is very or extremely important to them when they go on vacation, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Among those dreaming about kicking back is Yari Blanco of Brooklyn, New York, who recently tweeted, “Your girl needs a vacation. The kind where you lay by a crystal blue beach and nap in a hammock.” Blanco, who’s been busy working on a website she recently launched called TheGirlMob, hopes to squeeze in some relaxation time in July and maybe a trip later this year to Portugal.
Staycations and unplugging
Interestingly, most Americans say staying home and doing nothing isn’t ideal. Instead, they want a change of scenery. Of those who plan a summer vacation, 92 per cent are going away and only eight per cent are making it a staycation. More than half of those polled said relaxing at home doesn’t count as a real vacation. How about unplugging? Only 22 per cent “completely disconnect” while on vacation. A third don’t even try to get away from the Internet and social media. Some of those surveyed — 42 per cent — say they dial back their time online a little.
Americans under 30 are the most plugged in. Just 13 per cent say they’re likely to completely disconnect on vacation. But most Americans do avoid working on vacation. Sixty per cent of workers say they don’t check in with work at all when they’re on vacation, while 32 per cent say they work or check in with work a little. Eight per cent may fall into the workaholic category: They work or check in with the office “a lot.”
The term “bleisure” has been a buzzword recently in the travel industry, describing a combination of business and leisure travel. But most Americans (69 per cent) don’t consider extending a business trip to be a real vacation.
Top vacation activities
Sightseeing was ranked important by 55 per cent of those surveyed, followed by experiencing local culture and cuisine (51 per cent), visiting family (46 per cent) and spending time in nature (45 per cent). But there’s a gender gap. Shopping is more popular with women than men (22 per cent versus nine per cent), and women also prioritise sightseeing (60 per cent versus 49 per cent) and visiting family (52 per cent versus 40 per cent) more than men.
Airline regulations
Many Americans support more government regulations on airlines — perhaps a logical response to recent headlines over passengers being hauled off flights in disputes with airline staff. Six in 10 respondents want the government to regulate airline policies for bumping passengers and handling overbooked flights. Nearly half would like to see more regulation regarding flight delays and cancellations.
Shiva Rajagopal of Fort Lee, New Jersey, is among those supporting regulations to bar airlines from forcing people off flights. “I’ve had a couple of bad experiences being bumped out of flights,” he said. Airlines shouldn’t be able to do it “no matter what the compensation is,” he said, because sometimes “you have to be in a particular place at a particular time.”
Travelling companions
The stereotypical image of families piling into a car for a summer trip isn’t too far from reality. Among married couples, 87 per cent vacation with their spouses. Among parents, 87 per cent vacation with their kids. Three-fourths of vacationing parents will drive rather than fly.
Most vacationers, married or not, travel with others. Overall, 68 per cent will travel with a spouse or significant other and 49 per cent will travel with other relatives or friends. Just 14 per cent of vacationers will travel solo, including about a quarter of unmarried travelers.
Sixty-one per cent of vacationers say they’ll drive, 31 per cent will fly and four per cent will cruise. Another one per cent will go by train, two per cent by bus.
Time versus money
Half of the public expects to spend less than $1,000 for their summer holiday and half anticipate laying out more.
Time is the luxury most people desire. Nearly two-thirds of Americans would prefer a less extravagant vacation but longer vacation.
Lodging
For accommodations, hotels and motels are most popular, used by 45 per cent of summer vacationers. Another 22 per cent will stay with friends or relatives. Rentals of homes, condos or apartments were the choice of 17 per cent, while nine per cent will sleep in a tent, cabin or RV.
Non-vacationers
The poll also found, in results released previously, that 43 per cent of Americans won’t take a summer vacation, with 49 per cent of non-vacationers saying they can’t afford it. Another 11 per cent said they can’t take time off from work, while three per cent said they don’t like to be away from work. The survey also found that 41 per cent of working Americans do not get paid vacation time from their employers. —
The AP-NORC poll of 1,022 adults was conducted May 10-14 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.3 per centage points.
Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods and later interviewed online or by phone. —