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Where Is America Vacationing?

It’s official: when it comes to planning vacation getaways, more Americans prefer to spend their down time luxuriating on a warm, sunny beach over any other activity, according to a recent survey. Additionally, Florida is by far their most likely vacation destination.

In a recent survey of more than 1,100 U.S. adults on vacation preferences, hitting the beach and other warm-weather activities were the top choice of 29% of those questioned, easily out-polling other pastimes such as camping, visiting a spa or playing golf. The preference for sun and surf was shared across all ages, income levels, genders and regions, the survey found. Child-friendly destinations were the second choice (12%) of those surveyed, while historical/cultural destinations came in a close third (10%).

The survey also found that while Americans may dream of visiting far-off and exotic locales, when it actually comes to booking a vacation, few venture outside the country. While almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) said they dreamed of visiting Australia or New Zealand over the next 12 months, only one percent actually planned to head overseas. By contrast, some 69% of those queried said they planned to visit the Sunshine State in the same period.

“While we weren’t surprised that sun and beach vacations were the overall winner, we were intrigued to note that Florida was the No. 1 destination in every demographic, even with other sunny spots such as the Caribbean nearby,” said Alice Droogan, vice president, Global Cardholder Services, MasterCard Advisors.

The survey of vacation preferences also revealed:

· Hawaii was the top dream vacation destination for Generation X (age 30-41) and Y (age 18-29) respondents (72% for each demographic group).

· Surprisingly, a greater number of women (9%) actually preferred camping than did men (7%), while men showed a preference for exotic locales (11% compared to 4% for women) and golf (4% of men, 1% of women).

· Some 45% of Generation X’ers and 49% of Generation Y’ers fantasize about going on an African safari.

A Top Concern For Travelers: Loss of Credit Card
Major worries among the would-be travelers polled were the loss of their credit cards or travel documents, and getting sick. Twenty-six percent of respondents were more concerned about losing their credit cards, travel documents (25%) or getting sick (24%) as compared with losing luggage (15%) or getting into an accident or otherwise damaging a rental car (10%).

Wherever travelers do decide to go, MasterCard Global Service is available day or night to alleviate their top concern. “If your MasterCard card is lost or stolen, you can cancel the card with one quick, toll-free call to MasterCard Global Service and also receive a temporary card the next business day in the United States, and within two business days almost everywhere else,” explains Droogan. “If you are in need of a cash advance, MasterCard will also work with your card issuer to obtain one.”

U.S. cardholders who are traveling in the U.S. can contact their bank or call MasterCard Global Service at 1-800-MASTERCARD for assistance. A complete list of the 80 toll-free numbers traveling cardholders can call to obtain emergency card-related services worldwide is available at www.mastercard.com. “People traveling this summer should be relaxing and enjoying themselves, not worrying about travel issues,” said Droogan. “By realizing that there may be travel and retail benefits on their MasterCard cards, people can save time and money, while having peace of mind to enjoy the vacation sights and spend time with friends and family.”

(Source: eTNTravelWireNews)