Americans Hitting The Road This Fall Despite Rising Gas Prices

TripAdvisor Survey Shows 84 Percent Undeterred by Increasing Fuel Costs

News provided by

Aug 28, 2012, 06:00 ET

NEWTON, Mass., Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- TripAdvisor^®, the world's largest travel site*, today announced the results of its annual fall and Labor Day travel survey of more than 1,400 U.S. respondents. Eighty-five percent of travelers plan to take a leisure trip this autumn and 84 percent said rising gas prices will not affect their fall travel plans.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/49278-tripadvisor-survey-shows-84-percent-undeterred-by-increasing-fuel-costs

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120828/MM62806)

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20080902/TRIPADVISORLOGO)

Fall Travel Trends

34 percent plan to spend more on fall travel than they did in 2011, while 42 percent plan to spend about the same amount and 12 percent plan to spend less than they did last year.
Among those traveling, 61 percent plan to take more than one trip.
Of those taking fall leisure trips, 72 percent are planning a hotel stay and 18 percent will rent a vacation home.
13 percent are taking international trips, 23 percent will travel both internationally and domestically, and 64 percent will take only domestic trips.

Automobile Outings

70 percent of travelers plan to travel by car for their autumn getaways.
Among the 16 percent modifying travel plans due to higher prices at the pump, 51 percent are driving shorter distances and 46 percent are driving less often.
With rising gas prices in mind, 27 percent are willing to drive 100-200 miles, 21 percent will go 200-300 miles, and 16 percent plan to drive over 500 miles.

Top 5 Fall Activities:

View colorful fall foliage – 39%
Go wine tasting / visit a vineyard – 26%
Go to a state / county fair or fall festival – 22%
Attend a football game / collegiate homecoming – 20%
Go to a food festival – 20%

Leaving for Labor Day

27 percent are planning to travel this Labor Day weekend, up from 22 percent who traveled for the holiday last year.
Among those traveling, 64 percent anticipate driving, and 31 percent will take to the skies.
Of those traveling for Labor Day, 21 percent are planning an outdoor trip, 21 percent will take a beach trip, and 17 percent will go on a city escape.

Additional Fall Travel Tidbits

22 percent cite fewer crowds than in the summer as their top reason for fall travel, while 20 percent say they travel in the fall for the weather.
42 percent of fall leisure travelers will enjoy a city trip, 31 percent will take a cultural trip, and another 31 percent will head to the beach.

"Fall is always a popular season for weekend getaways to enjoy foliage and festivals," said Brooke Ferencsik, director of communications at TripAdvisor. "It's clear that rising gas prices won't be a roadblock for U.S. travelers who look to the fall for comfortable temperatures and smaller crowds."

About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor^® is the world's largest travel site,* enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 60 million unique monthly visitors*, and over 75 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 30 countries worldwide, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also includes TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to millions of monthly TripAdvisor visitors.

TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ: TRIP) manages and operates websites under 19 other travel media brands, and together the sites attract more than 74 million unique monthly visitors.** TripAdvisor, Inc.'s travel media brands include www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.everytrail.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com, www.whereivebeen.com, and www.kuxun.cn.