Family Gatherings Spur Holiday Travel: Cendant Survey

PARSIPPANY, NJ— Family gatherings are the reason many people will be traveling this holiday season, according to Cendant Corp.s Online Holiday Travel Survey. More than 40% of survey respondents indicated they were heading out to spend time with loved ones. As enticing as a sandy destination sounds, travelers planning to enjoy a warm beach and sun were a distant runner-up at 12%, according to the survey. This first-of-its-kind survey for Cendant was conducted on all of the companys travel-related websites in November and December. The survey found that getting the best deal is the highest priority for consumers when planning holiday trips this year. Some 33% of respondents chose finding the lowest prices as their top priority for holiday travel planning. Value also counts as 18% named getting the most value out of their budget as the top priority. Keeping travel low-stress came in as the third highest priority, with 8% noting it as a concern. Four out of 10 respondents (42%) said that the economy has negatively impacted their family travel budget this year. However, 49% said it had no impact on their travel budget, perhaps evidenced by the surveys finding that nearly half of the respondents (48%) plan on traveling more than 50 miles away from home for the holidays. The survey also asked respondents what “must-have” items they will bring along on holiday trips. Some 41% will bring a cell phone to stay connected, with a good book (34%) and plenty of cash (29%) also making it into the suitcase. For comfortable travel away from home, 15% will pack special snacks, 14% will take a personal CD/cassette player, 13% will bring a favorite pillow and 4% will pack earplugs.