Americans value vacations, poll shows

A new poll suggests that vacations and leisure travel are increasingly important to Americans, with more advance planning, longer vacations and less focus on work.

Sixty-two percent of those surveyed said they like to spend their leisure time doing things that are fun and pleasurable, up 10 points from 2002, according to the annual Roper Reports/NOP World summer travel outlook study.

Just a third of those polled blamed work commitments for keeping them from pursuing leisure activities, down 20 points from six years ago.

Sixty-four percent plan to take a vacation in the next six months, up from 58 percent in 2004.

Last-minute getaways, which increased after the Sept. 11 attacks, are less common. Ten percent say they now plan trips a year or more in advance, up 4 points from 2004, while 25 percent say they plan between six and 12 months in advance, up 3 points from 2004.

The number who plan less than a month in advance is down 2 points to 13 percent, while the number who plan one to three months ahead is down 3 points to 20 percent.

Slightly longer vacations are making a comeback as well, with 74 percent of those surveyed saying they are planning a trip lasting a week or more. That’s up 4 points from last year. Only 24 percent will spend less than a week away, down 5 points from 2004.

Air travel is up, too, with 42 percent planning to fly to their destination, a steady increase from the 36 percent who flew in 2002. Driving vacations are down to 53 percent, from 61 percent in 2002.

As for destinations, just 4 percent of those surveyed are going to Europe, down 2 points from last year. Forty-six percent are planning a trip more than 500 miles from home, but still within the continental United States, up 2 points from last year. Shorter domestic trips are down, with 33 percent saying they’ll travel within 500 miles of home, a 3-point drop.

The survey was conducted March 4 to 6, by telephone, among 1,000 Americans age 18 and older.