More Than Half Of Americans Take Their First Unsupervised Trip At Age 18, Survey Says

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 17, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- 18^th birthdays bring with them significant milestones. Young adults can open their first bank account, try their luck at record-breaking lottery jackpots, ignore curfew, and perhaps more significantly than ever, vote. Somewhat lesser known is the fact that they can also book and check-in to many hotels of their choice, a fact online travel site Hotwire^® is celebrating with a sale commemorating its very own 18^th birthday. With parent-free travel considered by 95% of Americans to provide valuable life lessons, Hotwire wanted to learn more about the travel habits of their fellow eighteen-year-old's.

A new survey of 1,000 U.S. adults recently revealed that more than half (53%) of Americans said they took their first unsupervised trip at age 18. These intrepid travelers generally sought out big city lights, with the majority (53%) of parent-free travelers visiting metropolitan areas. The study, conducted by Wakefield on behalf of Hotwire, also revealed that the most popular cities people first visited on their own include New York City (11%), Chicago (7%) and Orlando (6%).

As long-time travel advocates, Hotwire has been committed to making travel affordable for 18 years, whether for first-time or seasoned travelers.

"When Hotwire launched in 2000, our specially negotiated deals were revolutionary because they offered deep discounts by hiding the hotel name until after booking," said Neha Parikh, president, Hotwire. "18 years later, we're still able to offer our customer unbelievable value simply by having them book based on location, amenities and ratings, rather than hotel name. In fact, we're extremely proud of the fact that since our founding, we've passed on more than $3 billion in savings to our customers."

For their 18^th birthday, Hotwire wants others to join the celebrations by encouraging even more travel. The site is offering $18 off $180 on their unique Hot Rate deals with the promo code HBD18 so that everyone can experience 4-star hotels at 2-star prices. Book by 11:59 pm (PT) on October 19, 2018.

About Hotwire
Hotwire is a leading discount travel site. Launched in 2000, Hotwire, Inc. was one of the first online travel sites to work with suppliers directly to book unsold inventory. By simply hiding the brand name, Hotwire can offer customers deep savings on hotel rooms, rental cars, and flights.
Hotwire is an operating company within Expedia Group. For more information, visit http://www.hotwire.com.
© 2018 Hotwire, Inc. All rights reserved. Hotwire and the Hotwire logo are trademarks of Hotwire, Inc. CST# 2053390-40. 

Survey Methodology
The Hotwire 18^th Birthday Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative US adults, ages 18+, between October 5^th and October 10^th, 2018, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the US adult population, ages 18+. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation.

Additional survey statistics for media use

• Nearly all (95%) of Americans believe that there are valuable skills that can be learned from traveling on your own without a chaperone.
• Such skills include:
• Independence (76%)
• Planning/organizational skills (66%)
• Common sense/"street smarts" (65%), and
• Budgeting/financial management (63%).

Media Contacts
Jina Michael-Smith
Citizen Relations for Hotwire
[email protected]
(310) 698-9009

Carolin Fuller
Hotwire
[email protected] 
(206) 481-1054

SOURCE Hotwire

Related Links

http://www.hotwire.com