Spontaneous travelers are almost twice as often to state that they are happy most of the time and can handle unexpected challenges in life, compared to non-spontaneous travelers.
NEW YORK, LONDON and TOKYO – Travelzoo, a global publisher of exclusive offers and experiences for members, today published the results of its Spring Travel Trends Survey, revealing that people who travel spontaneously tend to be happier and more content with life than those who don't. Almost half (49%) of respondents who self-identify as spontaneous leisure travelers strongly perceive themselves as happy, while only a third of non-spontaneous travelers say they feel happy in life.
"Spontaneous travel" refers to unplanned travel in terms of timing and/or location, such as a last-minute weekend getaway or a trip to an unexpected destination. For the purposes of the survey, a "spontaneous leisure traveler" is someone who took at least one spontaneous trip of two days or more in 2018. The survey results indicate that spontaneous leisure travel is a well-accepted concept, with 83% of survey respondents reporting that they will consider taking a spur-of-the-moment trip in 2019.
Spontaneous travelers are positive and confident
Spontaneous travelers are almost twice as often to state that they are happy most of the time and can handle unexpected challenges in life, compared to non-spontaneous travelers. 40% more spontaneous travelers than non-spontaneous travelers said they were content and satisfied with their lives, and feel connected with family, friends and the world. These rates are consistent across all the countries that participated in the survey: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.
Spontaneous travel is motivated by internal needs
Spontaneous travelers appear to take trips to satisfy internal needs more than because of external factors. Travelzoo's survey results show that the top two motivations are the need to unwind and relax (46%) and the desire to get away and do something special (43%). These motivations co-exist with, but were more frequently cited by respondents, than external influences such as the wish to visit a specific destination (32%), or attend a specific activity or event (30%).
Spontaneous travelers look for inspiration
Travelzoo's survey results indicate that spontaneous travelers actively seek out information and ideas to be inspired. Almost no spontaneous traveler (less than 4%) would go on a trip without feeling the call of their internal desire to try out a special travel experience, compared to 17% of non-spontaneous travelers. In fact, 26% of spontaneous travelers try five or more sources of information to get the most unusual, quirky or off-the-beaten-track travel ideas, in contrast to only 13% of non-spontaneous travelers.
Since 1998, Travelzoo has been committed to waking up the innate curiosity of its members globally with its inspirational hand-picked travel offers. Travelzoo is well positioned to drive demand for more spur-of-the-moment trips, and to enable its members to live happier and more fulfilling lives as a result.
"At Travelzoo, we believe that the real spirit of travel lies in curiosity and the desire to reach outwards and search for authentic experiences," commented Sharry Sun, Travelzoo's Global Head of Brand. "Traveling spontaneously allows us to step outside of the worlds we live in every day, and reward ourselves with recharged energy, unexpected encounters and even life-changing self-reflection."
The results of the survey were also verified by the strong interest among members of Travelzoo when it recently published time-limited spontaneous travel ideas on Happiness Day in Canada. The event generated the highest traffic on Travelzoo's Canadian edition for 2.5 years. During the period, Travelzoo app downloads increased by more than 500% in comparison to last year, and app use doubled.
"We are happy to see that the travel offers were well-received by our members," concluded Sharry Sun. "We will continue to produce more unexpected but irresistible travel experience for Travelzoo members."
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
