Travel Habits of Americans: Only 13 Percent Traveled Abroad for Holidays in Last Year

We’re starting a new series of consumer surveys on Skift, focusing on the big picture travel habits of Americans, in the U.S. and abroad.

The first survey is on international travel habits of Americans. We started with a basic question: Have you traveled internationally for a holiday in the last year?

And the overwhelming answer: No. That jibes with other data about the international travel habits of Americans, which have remained anemic over the years.

We’ve outlined the top-level results, as well as differences by demographics, below.

Important: This survey — not served to Skift users — was administered to the U.S. internet population in summer 2014, through Google Consumer Surveys. The methodology is explained here. See previous Skift Surveys here.

» Topline Result (Chart 1, below): Almost 80 percent of the adult American Internet population says that have not travel internationally for holidays in the last year, only 13 percent said they have. About 8 percent said they traveled internationally, but more than a year ago. All of this could definitely feed into American stereotypes, but another way of looking at it: lots of potential for international destinations to attract U.S. travelers in the future.

» Breakdown by sex, Chart 2 below: Less American women have traveled abroad for holidays than men.

» Breakdown by age, Chart 3 below: The younger group has traveled more internationally in the last year, possibly during college trips. Also gives hope that the younger and millennial generation have more global outlook on travel.

» Breakdown by region, Chart 4 below: The U.S. midwest is the least internationally traveled, while Northeast is the most, which from a geography POV, makes sense.

» Breakdown by urban/rural divide, Chart 5 below: To be expected, urban America has taken more international holidays than anyone else.

» Breakdown by income, Chart 6 below: Also to be expected, the richer the American, the more they have traveled abroad.