Some 62% of American adults report having taken a vacation away from home in 2017, according to survey results from Gallup. About one-third of those, or 21% overall, said they traveled outside the US, per the report.
The 62% having taken a vacation away from the home is down from 2001 (70%), but fairly similar to the last time Gallup asked the question in 2005 (64%). In each case, employed adults were considerably more likely than those not employed to have taken a vacation (69% and 55%, respectively, in 2017).
Travel outside the US – at 21% of surveyed adults – was relatively steady from the prior surveys (19%).
Several demographic groups stood out in their likelihood to have taken a vacation away from home. For example, 82% of adults with household income of at least $75,000 report having taken such a vacation, compared to 57% with household income between $30,000 and $75,000.
In a potentially related finding, college graduates were almost 50% more likely than those without a college degree to have taken a vacation away from home (80% and 54%, respectively).
Interestingly, while married adults also were more apt than their unmarried counterparts to have taken such a vacation, parenthood did not seem to have a strong impact on travel likelihood. Indeed, 65% of those with children under 18 vacationed away from home, compared to 60% without children.
Meanwhile, adults ages 18-29, 30-49 and 50-64 each had similar rates of vacationing, though fewer (51%) of those ages 65 and older vacationed away from home.
Recent research indicates that travel is one of the leading reasons why Americans save money – and tops the list for Millennials.
And of the major plans that adults are making for this year, travel features most prominently, according to another recent survey.
About the Data: The Gallup dat is based on telephone interviews conducted December 4-11, 2017 with a random sample of 1,049 US adults ages 18 and older living in the US. Results for the entire sample carry a margin of error of +/- 4% points.
