TripIt surveyed more than 1,500 U.S.-based users to understand their 2021 travel plans. The survey took place in July 2021. For the purpose of this research, TripIt defined generations as follows: millennials (1981-1996); Generation X (1965-1980); and baby boomers (1946-1964).Key Findings
Travelers are back in the skies; millennials and Gen Xers lead the return
• The majority of respondents (82%) said they’ve already traveled in the last three months
o Fifty-two percent of travelers said they have already taken a domestic flight
o 73% have taken a road trip with a personal car
o 39% have taken a road trip with a rented car
o 13% have flown on an international flight
• Of those who have traveled in the last three months, millennials and Gen Xers have returned to travel at consistently higher rates than boomers:
o 53% of millennials and nearly 55% of Gen Xers have already flown on a domestic flight, compared with 48% of boomers
o 71% of millennials and nearly 77% of Gen Xers have already taken a road trip with a personal car, compared with 65% of boomers
o 32% of millennials and 32% of Gen Xers have already taken a road trip with a rented car, compared with nearly 21% of boomers
o 16% of millennials and nearly 14% of Gen Xers have already flown internationally, compared with 9% of boomers
Vacation—all Americans ever wanted
• For Americans planning to travel in the next year (98%), an overwhelming majority (87%) plan to take a vacation—up 10% from survey data we released in May
o A business trip (52%) and a trip to visit family and/or friends (42%) rounded out the top three reasons for traveling
o Survey data we released back in March showed 94% of survey respondents planned to travel in 2021, with a vacation (73%), a trip to visit family and/or friends (53%), and a business trip (43%) as the top reasons (notice the rise in planned business trips)
Millennials plan to get away (but bring work along)
• Gen Xers are leading the way with vacation planning—89% plan to take a vacation this year
• Millennials are the most likely to plan a trip involving remote work (24%), compared to 14% of the general population
• Consistent with data released in May, 32% of travelers plan to take a trip they had to reschedule due to COVID-19. And of the travelers rescheduling cruises, some millennials (2%) and Gen Xers (10%) plan to, but the biggest cruise goers will be boomers (16%) Flight comfort is up, COVID-19 concerns are down, and travelers are happy post-trip
• Those comfortable flying in current conditions increased nearly 79% since May while airline safety measures’ importance dropped 29%
o Travelers’ readiness for a domestic flight by September increased to 80%—an 8% increase from the May survey
o International travel readiness increased to 43% by September and 75% by spring 2022
• The top travel concerns include overcrowding and long lines (39%), unruly passengers (29%), and the costs associated with travel (24%)
• When we asked travelers how they felt at different stages of their journey—before, during, and after their trips—travelers were primarily excited (36%), happy (36%), and calm (29%) throughout
o Millennials and Gen Xers expressed an overall feeling of excitement on their trips, while boomers generally felt calm
Travelers are willing to do what it takes to fly
• Back in March, 81% of travelers said the prospect of a digital health passport appealed to them and that they’d be willing to use one if it meant they could travel freely
• Now, most travelers (84%) said they would use a digital health passport, regardless of if they loved the idea (49%), liked the idea (18%), or disliked the idea (16%)
• A portion of travelers (16% of respondents) said they hated the idea of a digital health passport and would not use one
