WASHINGTON, DC | Despite current economic challenges, 60 percent of people who will travel during the holidays strongly feel the time and money spent is a small price to pay to be with people they love, it was revealed in a unique survey quantifying why people take trips during the holidays.

Respondents to the Harris Interactive survey of 2,256 adults conducted last week for the Travel Industry Association credited four reasons as significant and valuable for hitting the road to visit family or friends at Thanksgiving and Christmas. They are:

• creating memories;
• maintaining traditions;
• reconnecting and building relationships; and
• improving a person’s sense of overall well-being.

Click here for a summary of the topline survey results.

“All indicators point to the fact that people feel the enriching experiences that holiday travel affords and the opportunity to share time with loved ones is of great value to their life,” said Dr. Suzanne Cook, Senior Vice President of Research for the Travel Industry Association.

“Most people appear to be unwilling to give up what and who they love, even in more stressful times,” Cook added.

Older Americans, in particular, appreciate the value of travel during the holidays. Among those who plan on being with out-of-town family/friends over the holiday season:

• 79% of persons age 55-plus believe that “being with family and friends over the holidays creates memories for me and/or my children” [61% among ages 18-34 and 58% among ages 35-44].
• 69% also feel that the holidays are a time to reconnect with the family and build relationships [58% for ages 18-34 and 53% for ages 35-44].
• Also, persons age 55-plus overwhelmingly feel (76%) that “time and money involved to travel is small price to pay for the benefits of being with loved ones.” [52% for both 18-34 and 35-44].

Other Observations

Among those who plan to be with out-of-town family/friends over the holiday season:

• Women value the benefits of holiday travel more than men. Some 77% of women believe that “being with family/friends over the holidays creates memories,” compared with 58% for men.
• Parents with young children appreciate others coming to see them. Among parents with children under the age of six, 64% believe that “the time and money my family/friends spend to travel to visit is a part of their gift to me.”

One indication of how positively people see holiday travel can be seen in the fact that only 37 percent of those who visit with out-of-town family or friends feel in any way obligated to be with family and friends at Thanksgiving, but 70 percent recognize it as an opportunity to maintain tradition.

Click here for the survey results.

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The survey of 2,256 adults was conducted October 31 through November 4. The overall sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.1 percent.