How People Vacation And What They Want When They Travel

Author Kayla Morgan

May 1st 4:04 PM

From things we want on vacation to the “hush vacation” trend, a recent poll revealed some fascinating insights about how people vacation. The poll of 2,000 split evenly among travelers and hotel workers was commissioned by Mews a hospitality cloud system and conducted by OnePoll.

How people vacation, here’s what they found.

They found that nearly a third of people admitted they’ve worked remotely on vacation without telling their bosses. They refer to this as a hush vacation. About 52% of them would use their vacation travels as a chance to work remotely and 29% have done so without notifying anyone at work.

Looking further into it, close to four in 10 (39%) explained it was simply because they like what they do for work. Meanwhile, others would work on vacation to hit an important work deadline that overlapped with their vacation time (28%) or to save on their PTO (26%).

For many others, traveling for work opens the door to other opportunities. Nearly half (48%) have extended their work trips into vacations at their destination. Additionally, four in five working Americans would be willing to work remotely from their hotel.

While working from the comfort of one’s hotel room is the top preference (69%), a quarter of respondents said they would prefer to work remotely from the hotel pool or spa, and nearly 25% chose a hotel bar or restaurant.

For many, traveling is a priority.

The survey revealed that three in four travelers (74%) and hotel workers (75%) agree that Americans are prioritizing travel more this year than last.

Seventy-nine percent are planning all their travels for the year “as soon as they possibly can” and estimate they’ll take a total of 11 trips in 2024.

Among the trips planned are three vacations and three family trips; alongside three work trips and two “bleisure” trips. This is combining business with leisure for employed respondents.

What people want on vacation.

Nearly a third of guests stated a perfect hotel would have keyless room entry (34%) and in-room smart home devices (43%) and nearly one-fourth would prefer mobile room entry (27%) and digital ordering (24%).

More than 40% of travelers stated they prefer to check in via a hotel’s website, app or digital kiosk, and nearly 80% said they would be willing to stay at a hotel that had a completely automated front desk or self-service kiosk. A third (36%) admitted they have turned to AI for recommendations while booking travel.

According to travelers, people expect the “perfect” hotels to offer fast wi-fi (70%), a king-sized bed (55%), having a smart TV (54%), and being near attractions (48%).

Check out the complete study and get more vacation insights here.

Kayla is the midday host on Detroit’s 105.1 The Bounce. She started her career in radio back in 2016 as an intern at another Detroit station and worked her way here. She's made stops in Knoxville, TN, Omaha, Ne and other places before returning to Detroit. She’s done almost everything in radio from promotions to web, creating content on social media, you name it. She’s a true Michigander, born and raised. So, you can catch her camping or vacationing up north to exploring the downtown Detroit or maybe even catching a sports game. During her free time, Kayla enjoys watching movies, roller-skating, crafting, and music festivals. She and her husband together dip into many of the great things Michigan has to offer. Together they also like to travel. A few hobbies of hers include wine and beer tastings, crafting, hiking, roller skating, movies, home improvement projects, gardening, and festivals. She’s always looking to take on more local events happening in the community. She loves connecting with the community. When writing, Kayla covers topics including lifestyle, pop culture, trending stories, hacks, and urban culture.

Tips to Maximize Your Vacation

It’s always a good time to go on vacation, but summer, of course, is the official travel season. If you’re planning a big trip, you’re going to want to make sure to maximize your vacation. After all, traveling is supposed to be fun. That means not stressing out while planning or being on your trip. Let’s get into some great tips to maximize your vacation.

Vacation Trends

Before we get to tips to maximize your vacation, let’s look at vacation trends. A new AAA travel survey states that 84% of U.S. residents will travel in 2024. Also, 43% will take more vacations than last year. So traveling is a hot thing in 2024. “The travel season is already off to a hot start in 2024,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA, The Auto Club Group. “Americans continue to make travel a top priority, and AAA travel agents have been busy planning a wide range of vacations from weekend getaways to world cruises.”

If you’re planning to take a cruise, note that according to AAA, more travelers are booking cruises farther in advance. Many spring break cruises sold out months before they were to set sail. “Last-minute bookings are possible, but prices may be higher and cabin choices limited,” AAA notes.

What’s more, a new study from AAA and Bread Financial has discovered that younger generations are into live event travel. Is that really new? I’ve been traveling for concerts for years, but it’s apparently a new trend among Gen Z. They state that “three in five Gen Z (65%) and Millennial (58%) respondents confirmed they have traveled in the past 12 months and/or plan to travel in the next 12 months for in-person events like concerts, sporting events, comedy shows, and book readings that are more than 50 miles from home.”

That’s much more than with older generations, with is 43% for Gen X and 27% for Baby Boomers. Then again, older generations are more likely to want to be at home, because, well, they’re older. They’ve been there and done that.

That same study found that Gen Z loves traveling for sports and music. They state that more than half (52%) of Gen Z travelers are gearing up to attend a music event in the next 12 months. In fact, one in five Gen Z travelers (20%) have traveled or plan to travel to see Taylor Swift live in concert.

As for sports, 38% of Gen Z travelers have traveled or plan to travel for the 2025 Super Bowl. Also, 32% have traveled or plan to travel to the 2024 NBA finals, and 19% have traveled or plan to travel to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.  Now, let’s get into some great tips to maximize your vacation.

Tips to Maximize Your Vacation

1. Save Money
One great way to maximize your vacation is simply to save money. You’ll feel so much better on vacation knowing that you’re saving cash by doing things the right way. One major way to save money is to travel during an off season. Every vacation destination has its own peak time. So, look at the cheapest time to visit your destination, and go then. Find more tips on saving money on vacation, too.

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2. Don't Plan Every Minute of Your Vacation
Sure, you want to do some planning so that you don’t miss the big tourist stops in your destination. But, don’t book every blasted minute. Maximize your vacay by saving some time to be spontaneous. Take a day to just figure out what to do when you’re there. Maybe some locals will recommend a secret spot for you to visit during your “day off.”

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3. Do Plan Ahead, Though
While you don’t want to overbook your trip so that you’re always running from spot to spot, you do want to plan a bit. It’s not a good idea to do zero planning and just feel things out when you get there. Plan some big activities ahead of time so that you aren’t scrambling last-minute.

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4. Plan Regular Mini-Vacations
If you only have one big vacation every year, you might feel under a lot of pressure to make it the most amazing experience ever. So, take away that stress. Plan mini-vacations throughout the year, so you aren’t under as much pressure to make your big trip the best thing that’s ever happened to you and your family. For example, in the fall, if you live in an area with beautiful colors, make an annual fall color tour trip and just drive around the state.

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5. Stay an Extra Day
If time and money allows, adding just one day to your vacation can open up a world of possibilities. Many people plan too short a trip, not realizing just how much they’ll want to do in their destination. So, add an extra day. You’ll be glad you did at the end of your stay.

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6. Take Time to Sleep
Sure, you’re on vacation. You want to soak up every minute of your trip. But, if you’re up late every night partying in the clubs and then up early to enjoy the sunrise, pretty soon, you’ll be too tired to enjoy your vacation. So, take time to get some sleep and feel rested.

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7. Let the Small Stuff Go
They say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” That’s certainly true on vacation. Nothing is going to go totally as planned. So, expect the unexpected, and roll with it.

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8. Plan Some Recoup Time
When you get back from your vacation, don’t plan to start work the very next day. Take an extra day or two off after your vacation to recuperate, so that you hit the ground running when you’re back at work. The extra time at home will also give you a chance to savor your vacation.

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9. Pick an Experience
People often find experiencing more rewarding that physical things. So, make sure to plan an experience with your trip. Maybe there’s a huge concert you want to see on vacation. Perhaps it’s a sporting event. Whatever it is, plan an awesome experience.

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10. Learn for Next Time
Finally, when you’re home from your trip, decompress and look back on your vacation. What went wrong? What went right? Take notes and learn from your vacation, so you’ll know what to do better next time.

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