Hotwire Survey Reveals Working Americans Typically Have an Average of Twelve Paid Vacation Days Unused at the End of the Year

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Hotwire.com®, a leading discount travel site, today released additional findings from its third annual American Travel Behavior Survey, conducted online in October 2013 on behalf of Hotwire by Harris Interactive among over 2,000 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. The data shows that working Americans¹ will typically leave an average of 12 paid vacation days unused at the end of the year, which is a 30 percent increase from 2012's average of nine unused paid vacation days and double 2011's average of six unused paid vacation days. When asked why they have any vacation days left over at the end of the year, more than one third (34 percent) of those working Americans indicate that they could not afford to take any/any more vacations. To help change this perception, the experts at Hotwire are highlighting early December as one of the most affordable times of year to travel, with deep discounts in many top markets.

"Financial pressures often put a burden on travel plans and this is causing an alarming increase in Americans leaving vacation days unused," said Henrik Kjellberg, president of the Hotwire Group. "This is a trend I am hoping will soon change. Fortunately, we're approaching one of the best times of the year for travelers to take advantage of incredibly low prices. With the lull in leisure and business travel between Thanksgiving and Christmas, travel providers offer some the deepest discounts we'll see all year, so even the most budget-conscious of travelers have a chance to use some of the days they worked so hard to earn."

The survey also revealed significant differences in how many vacation days were taken by age group and region. Among those working adults who have any vacation days from their primary employer:

• Twenty percent of those 35 and older have more than 20 unused vacation days at the end of the year.
• Those who live in the West have an average of 18 unused vacation days—significantly more than those who live in the South (11), the Northeast and Midwest (nine each).

Given the findings from this year's survey, Hotwire wants to encourage Americans across the country to take an affordable trip before the holidays and New Year. To illustrate the great deals consumers can find between Thanksgiving and Christmas compared to the peak summer season, Hotwire has compiled a list of the top 10 destinations that will offer the deepest hotel savings. These destinations include:

Even if the busy holiday season precludes travelers from planning ahead, that's no reason to leave vacation days on the table. In fact, big cities often offer their biggest discounts at the last minute, and the ideal way to find them is throughHotwire's iPad, iPhone and iPod touch apps, available at: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/hotwire-hotels/id566635048?mt=8.

Above savings are calculated by comparing the Hotwire Hot Rate® for select destinations during peak season (7/1-10/1) against the Hotwire Hot Rate the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas (12/1-12/18).  Hotel sample rates are based on Hotwire searches made on 11/12/13 for travel dates of 12/05/13 – 12/08/12. All hotel sample rates are Hotwire Hot Rate.

Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Hotwire from October 8-10, 2013 among 2,020 adults ages 18 and older, among which 912 are employed full-time/part-time. The 2012 study was conducted from October 15-17, 2012 among 2,133 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among which 1,292 were employed full-time/part-time. The 2011 study was conducted from July 27-29, 2011 among 2,127 U.S. adults, among which 1,071 were employed full-time/part-time. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact [email protected].

About Hotwire
Hotwire.com is a leading discount travel site with low rates on airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars and vacation packages.  Launched in 2000, Hotwire, Inc. obtains deep discounts from its travel suppliers to help travelers book unsold airline seats, hotel rooms and rental cars.  Hotwire.com is an award winning website and Hotwire, Inc. is an operating company within Expedia, Inc. CST # 2029030-50.  NST: 20003-0209.  For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com. Hotwire.com operates sites in 12 countries worldwide: www.hotwire.com, www.hotwire.com/uk, www.hotwire.com/ie, www.hotwire.com/au, www.hotwire.com/nz, www.hotwire.com/se, www.hotwire.com/no, www.hotwire.com/dk, www.hotwire.com/de, www.hotwire.com/hk, www.hotwire.com/mx and www.hotwire.com/sg. In addition to Hotwire.com, The Hotwire Group also operates www.carrentals.com.  

Hotwire, Hotwire.com, the Hotwire logo and Hot Rate are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.  All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. © 2013 Hotwire, Inc.  All rights reserved. CST # 2053390-50.

Contact:
Andrew Reynolds
Atomic PR
(323) 648-5425
[email protected]

¹In the survey working Americans were defined as those who are employed full-time/part-time. 

SOURCE Hotwire.com