Traditional family gatherings are the å“trip of choiceå” for holiday travel this year, with over 40 percent of respondents to Cendantå‘s Online Holiday Travel Survey heading out to spend time with loved ones.

As enticing as a sandy destination sounds, travelers planning to enjoy “warm beach and sun” were a distant runner-up at 12 percent.

This first-of-its-kind survey for Cendant Corporation

, on all of the company’s travel-related Web sites in November and December, offers a unique perspective on the concerns and priorities of travelers across hotel, rental car, vacation rental, and general use travel Web sites.

 

The survey found that getting the best deal is the highest priority for consumers when planning holiday trips this year.

- 33 percent of respondents chose “finding the lowest prices” as their top priority for holiday travel planning.

- Value—not just price—counts too, with 18 percent choosing “getting the most value out of my budget as their top priority.

- “Keeping travel low-stress” came in as the third highest priority, with 8 percent noting it as a concern.

 

A focus on cost and value makes sense for the four out of 10 respondents (42 percent) who answered that the economy has negatively impacted their family travel budget this year. However, 49 percent said it had no impact on their travel budget, perhaps evidenced by the survey’s finding that nearly half of the respondents (48 percent) plan on traveling more than 50 miles away from home for the holidays.

Bringing Comfort on the Road
On a lighter note, the survey asked respondents what “must have” items they will bring along on holiday trips. Forty-one percent will bring a cell phone to stay connected, with a good book (34 percent) and plenty of cash (29 percent) also making it into the travel-on bag. And for smooth and comfortable travel away from home, 15 percent will stash special snacks, 14 percent will pack a personal CD/cassette player, and 13 percent will bring a favorite pillow. Perhaps to help keep family gatherings harmonious, four percent will be sure to pack earplugs. 

“This survey, offered across multiple Cendant-affiliated travel-related Web sites, is the first of its kind for Cendant,” said Sam E. Galeotos

, president & CEO of Galileo International and Cendant Travel Distribution Services. “The findings help us understand what’s important to travelers across a wide range of travel options. And, these results confirm what we’ve seen all year—that family and value are leading priorities overall for the traveling public. To serve these needs, we are offering great promotions and deals to help customers make their holiday, as well as winter travel plans.”

Related stories on ITN:

(26/09/2002) Cendant Travel Distribution Completes Integration of Galileo

(29/08/2002) Cendant & Trip Network Alliance With Continental

(14/08/2002) Cendant Announces Acquisition of Lodging.com

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