Travelers prefer to visit a new destination this summer, survey finds

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Jun 15, 2015, 12:05 ET

WARWICK, R.I., June 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to a new survey by travel insurance comparison site InsureMyTrip, more than half of travelers (55 percent) polled will not return to the same destination as last summer. The results were part of the 2015 Summer Travel Guide, a compilation of data-driven insights to help consumers travel smarter in 2015.

This research also highlighted travel planning behaviors and preferences. For example, most will choose to stay in a hotel while on a summer trip and plan to go sightseeing, visit the beach, and spend quality time with family and friends. Top travel concerns include overspending and disruptions of vacation plans due to weather or health issues.

For this particular study, InsureMyTrip conducted a highly targeted survey and restricted the respondent pool to only a group of US travelers who either researched or purchased travel insurance within the past 18 months. Here are the results:

TRAVELERS PREFER TO VISIT NEW DESTINATIONS

55% will visit a new destination this summer
24% will sometimes visit the same destination
22% do tend to visit the same destination

MOST WILL GO ON A SUMMER VACATION THIS YEAR

An overwhelming eighty-two percent said they were planning a summer vacation. Twelve percent said they had no plans yet. Six percent had no plans.

Out of those polled, 67 percent will get to their destination by air.

PREFER STAYING IN HOTELS

42% will stay in a hotel
25% will go on a cruise
18% will stay in a vacation rental
10% prefer to stay with family or friends
4% will use a timeshare

SIGHTSEEING TOPS THE LIST OF SUMMER TRAVEL ACTIVITIES

50% enjoy sightseeing the most during a summer vacation
23% like going to the beach or relaxing
13% enjoy spending time with family and friends the most
10% other
3% eating at restaurants

TRAVELERS BOOKING WELL IN ADVANCE

Most travelers prefer to book vacations in advance with 82 percent booking a trip more than 30 days in advance, 15 percent booking a few weeks prior to departure and three percent preferring spur of the moment trips.

TOP TRAVEL CONCERNS: MONEY, HEALTH, WEATHER

The poll reveals that most summer travelers are concerned about overspending, health issues and bad weather affecting travel. Here is the list of concerns in order of popularity:

Overspending
Health issues before or during a trip
Hurricane or bad weather affecting travel plans
Missing a flight
Bad experience with food or accommodations

The survey also asked how much travelers planned to spend on a vacation. Nearly half polled (47 percent) will spend over $1500 on a vacation budget. Thirty-one percent will spend over $5000.

MOST POPULAR INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS: UK, FRANCE, ITALY

This list shows the most popular summer destinations for travel outside the US (June 2015 – August 2015). This information was pulled from internal customer data.

United Kingdom
France
Italy
Caribbean
Netherlands

MORE INTEREST IN TRAVEL TO EUROPE

InsureMyTrip teamed up with pricing app Hopper to research travel trends this summer. With the strong US dollar, it is not surprising to find more Americans booking trips to Europe this summer and taking advantage of a bargain.

According to Hopper, the cheapest times to fly to Europe this summer are in the beginning of May and the end of August.

June is the most popular month for European travel
Prices peak at the end of July

TOP TRAVEL INSURANCE NEEDS FOR SUMMER TRAVEL

To gain insight on the travel insurance needs of summer travelers, the research team polled licensed travel insurance agents from InsureMyTrip.

Here are the top reasons why travelers purchase travel insurance for summer travel, listed in order of importance:

Hurricanes or bad weather affecting travel plans
Concerns over coverage for a vacation rental
Health issues affecting travel plans

InsureMyTrip estimates 80 percent of travel insurance consumers purchase a comprehensive policy.

Comprehensive travel insurance provides a variety of benefits including medical coverage, emergency travel services, baggage protection, and trip cancellation and interruption coverage.

Tip: Travelers concerned about hurricanes should purchase travel insurance early. Once a storm starts forming, insurance is no longer available.

ABOUT INSUREMYTRIP:

InsureMyTrip compares travel insurance products from the most trusted providers in the industry.

InsureMyTrip's powerful unbiased comparison engine and thousands of reviews enable travelers to quote and buy the right travel insurance plan. The site is supported by award winning customer service and travel insurance agents licensed in all 50 states.

Featured by Consumer Reports, and listed as a helpful website by the US Federal Consumer Information Center.

InsureMyTrip travel insurance experts are featured in national publications including Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, and Travel + Leisure.

SOURCE InsureMyTrip