Aarp travel research: road trips

For travel inspiration, planning, and more, visit AARP TRAVEL. Road Trips are a popular form of travel among the 45-plus leisure travel audience, with 87% taking part in this mode of travel

approximately three times a year. Key findings include: * On average, the one-way drive time for a Road Trip is 9 hours.  Upon arrival at the final destination, road trippers spend

approximately 5 days, making the total Road Trip a 7-day excursion. * Regardless of drive time, the 45-plus road tripping audience consistently cites their trips involve 2-3 family members

driving together in only one vehicle (95%) - likely a car (55%) or SUV (30%). The 45-plus travel audience has embraced Road Trips, with 72% claiming it as their favorite way to travel, and

45% indicating the trip is about both the journey and the destination. The most popular reasons why travelers choose road trips are to have a vehicle at their destination (58%), for

flexibility (46%), and for cost (35%). Some common Road Trips must haves: * Water, sunglasses and snacks top the list of non-tech items. * And when it comes to tech must-haves (beyond a cell

phone), 62% cite cell coverage as imperative, followed by an iPad/Tablet (40%) and a digital camera (39%). Road trip activities show some differences between Baby Boomers and Gen-Xers: *

Gen-Xers are more likely to use technology to assist them on their road trip than are Boomers. Seventy percent of Gen-Xers used the Internet to plan their most recent road trip, compared to

just 47% of Boomers. * Boomers are more likely than Gen-Xers to do some routine maintenance on their vehicle prior to their trip. * Boomers are more likely to use a car on their road trip,

while Gen-Xers are more likely to drive an SUV. A 10-minute online survey was conducted among males and females age 45-plus who have taken at least one Road Trip in the past year.  The

survey was fielded from May 5 through May 13, 2015.  Final data has been weighted to the U.S. Census for analysis. For more information contact Vicki Gelfeld at [email protected].