Not planning to take a trip for President’s Day weekend? Maybe you should.
Forty-nine percent of U.S. adults who did not take a last-minute vacation in 2014 now regret it, according to a survey by discount travel site Priceline.
Among millennials, that number was even higher: 67% of 18- to 34-year-olds who responded said they regretted not taking a last-minute trip.
The survey also found that 58% of all survey respondents — and 73% of millennials — said they will likely take a last-minute trip in 2015.
Wakefield Research conducted the survey on behalf of Priceline, sampling 1,000 “nationally representative U.S. adults.”
Priceline’s interest in finding out how many consumers want to go on a last-minute trip is due to more than just curiosity.
The company, like many other booking services, including HotelTonight and Booking Now, is pursuing the growing number of consumers who are booking right before embarking on a trip
Mobile deals and mobile reach (remember when you couldn’t book a hotel with a few swipes on your smartphone?), have put spontaneous travel in the spotlight.
In an Expedia survey last year, 84% of respondents said their mobile phone made being spontaneous while traveling “at least somewhat easier.”
If you can swing it, taking a vacation — either planned well ahead of time or spontaneous — could do more than help your tan. Those respondents in the Expedia survey who had taken a vacation in the previous 12 months were more likely to be satisfied with their job and love life, compared to those who hadn’t been on vacation for five years or more.
If taking a last-minute trip is on your to-do list, there are plenty of ways to travel more in 2015.
Sign up for airfare alerts, lower the bar for a “vacation” (a weekend is plenty of time to have an adventure) and promise yourself that you’ll take your paid vacation time (if you’re lucky enough to have it).
Source: Mashable