How Americans Roll - Study by Enterprise Uncovers Gender Preferences and Travel Trends

New Survey Reveals Americans Prefer Short Weekend Road Trips Over Week-Long Vacations

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Sep 30, 2014, 10:11 ET

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Whether we're heading out for a simple change of scenery… hitting the road to see the changing fall colors… or donning our school colors for some football and tailgating, autumn is a prime season for weekend getaways. And, according to new research from Enterprise Rent-A-Car, the world's largest rental car brand, these relatively brief road trips may be the most popular vacations of all – beating out those long summer weeks at the beach.

The study* finds that Americans prefer shorter weekend road trips versus week-long vacations. Specifically, two-thirds (66 percent) prefer to take a one day or weekend road trip as opposed to 31 percent who prefer to take at least a week-long trip. More than half (57 percent) report that they would drive up to 300 miles one way for a weekend trip, and almost 75 percent prefer to drive to their destinations because of the freedom it provides.

"Our study found that Americans are willing to drive long distances for a little rest and relaxation, even if it's just over a weekend," said Steve Short, vice president at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. "With car rental branches located within 15 miles of 90 percent of the U.S. population, Enterprise makes it easy and convenient for drivers to travel to their destinations."

Other driving and leisure trends identified through the research include:

Gender:
- Men love the drive, while women focus on relaxation and rejuvenation. Forty-two percent of men were likely to take a road trip because they like to drive, versus a quarter of women. In contrast, women were 1.5 times more likely than men to report that they take road trips because they come back rejuvenated and refreshed.
- Forty-one percent of women reported that they're likely to have rented a vehicle for a road trip to prevent wear and tear on their own cars, versus merely a quarter of men. Comparatively – by a margin of 11-to-1 – men claim they've rented a vehicle for the opportunity to drive a new car compared with their female counterparts.
Age
- Millennials (ages 25–34) report having the least amount of time to take road trips. More than half (51 percent) are unable to take more trips because they can't be away from work.
- Millennials will make time on a road trip for food (35 percent), but are less likely to take time for scenic drives and attractions.
- Younger adults (under age 45) are more likely to value spending time with family on road trips, compared with their older counterparts.

Region
- On average, Midwesterners are willing to drive the farthest for road trips.
- Westerners are almost three times more likely than those in other regions to take a road trip for outdoor recreation. Almost one-third (31 percent) of them drive to their destination because of its remoteness.
- Southerners are almost twice as likely to involve family in their road trip decision compared to their counterparts in other regions (19 percent vs. 10 percent). They are also inclined to drive the farthest for a day trip (244-mile round trip) compared to Northeasterners (202-mile round trip).
- Northeasterners take the fewest number of days for leisure trips and report traveling most often for entertainment (e.g. concerts, sporting events).

Enterprise has always focused on community transportation needs, renting cars where customers live and work. Today, Enterprise continues to lead the home-city market, operating over 5,500 offices – more locations than any U.S. competitor.

For more information, visit www.enterprise.com.

*The 2014 Enterprise Leisure Travel Survey was conducted with 1,001 U.S. travelers who took at least one road trip over the previous year. The survey was fielded from May 14-21, 2014, and was conducted by Gfk using KnowledgePanel®, which is the only large-scale probability-based online panel based on a representative random sample of the U.S. population.

About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Founded in 1957 and known for an extensive network of locations, great value and outstanding customer service, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an internationally recognized brand that was ranked on BusinessWeek magazine's annual list of "Customer Service Champs" for four years in a row. Enterprise won Budget Travel magazine's 2010 and 2011 Readers' Choice Award as their favorite rental car brand for customer service around the globe.

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SOURCE Enterprise Rent-A-Car