TRAVEL PARTY COMPOSITION AND BEHAVIORS

According to the Travel Industry of America's Domestic Travel Report, 2002 Edition, domestic travelers can be classified into three segments: adults traveling alone or with someone outside their household; multiple adult groups; and adults with children. Of these, the "adults alone" group made up the largest proportion of travelers at 45 percent, followed by "multiple adults" at 32 percent and "adults with children" at 23 percent. While these groups share many travel habits, there are clear differences.

Adults Traveling Alone

"Adults alone" were the least likely to be traveling in their own state (40 percent); the least likely to be traveling for leisure (51 percent); the most likely to stay in a hotel, motel or B&B (60 percent) and the least likely to be married (50 percent). Predictably, adults traveling alone were far more likely to be on business/convention travel and twice as likely to travel by air (33 percent).

Adults With Children

Conversely, "adults with children" were the most likely to be traveling for leisure (87 percent), in their own state (51 percent) and by car (81 percent). Adults traveling with children were the least likely group to stay in a hotel, motel or B&B (42 percent) and their average age and income is the lowest of the three groups. Naturally, summer was the most popular season for adults with children to travel.

Multiple Adults Traveling Together

The "multiple adults" group was the oldest, most demographically upscale and had the highest average trip expenditure of $509. Although most were married, 82 percent reported having no children in the household, and a quarter were retired. They traveled for leisure almost as often as the "adults with children" group (81 percent) but were more similar to the "adults alone" group in their lodging choices (56 percent stayed in a motel, hotel or B&B). Although the group is described as "multiple adults," 87 percent of the travel parties included only two adults.

All three travel party segments share similar habits such as trip duration, the likelihood of owning a personal computer or cellular phone, home ownership, and affluence.

For more additional findings from TIA's Domestic Travel Report, 2002 Edition, contact Sue Hamilton at 266-6792.