Florida and Italy top travelers’ lists for 2022, but how they plan to get there, where they’ll stay, and for how long varies. TravelAwaits surveyed 1,615 people ages 50 and up about their 2022 travel plans as well as their plans for retirement. Want to peer inside your peers’ minds? We’ve got all the juicy details!
We also found out about retirement plans, from where our readers want to retire to what’s most important to them when choosing that place. Here’s the scoop on 50+ travel and retirement plans for the coming year.
Most Travelers Plan On Taking Two Trips In 2022
When asked how many trips they plan on taking next year, the majority of respondents — 26 percent — said they planned on taking two trips in 2022. The rest of the answers were pretty spread out, with 18 percent planning on three trips, 16 percent planning to go on just one, 13 percent having four trips in mind, while 5 percent said they plan on taking five trips.
Ten percent of respondents said they planned on taking six or more trips next year, while a nearly equal amount, 12 percent, do not plan to travel at all in 2022. This stat is important to keep in mind when totaling the rest of the data, as “do not plan to travel” will make up 12 percent of responses.
Majority Of 2022 Travelers Intend To Take Long Trips
Most respondents — 23 percent — said their trips would last over 13 days. Twenty percent reported that their 2022 vacations would be anywhere from seven to nine days. Twelve percent plan on taking 10- to 12-day trips, while another 12 percent are looking forward to taking three- to four-day vacays.
Over Half Of 2022 Travelers Plan On Flying, But The Road Trip Still Rules
When asked how they plan to travel in 2022, respondents selected each mode of transportation that they planned on taking next year. Over half — 54 percent — plan on flying, but the car still rules the road with 62 percent of respondents planning on taking a road trip in 2022.
Nearly 20 percent will rent a car, while about 10 percent will go by train, and the same number of respondents plan on cruising or yachting. Only 7 percent of respondents plan on traveling in an RV in 2022, which is consistent with last year’s data.
Majority Of 2022 Travelers Plan To Take Family Vacations
Spouses and partners make up the majority of travel companions for our readers, with nearly 58 percent planning on vacationing with their significant other in 2022. Over 25 percent plan to travel with kids, while nearly 10 percent are going somewhere with their grandchildren. Only 7 percent have a trip planned with their brothers or sisters or extended family. The same number of respondents plan on going on group tours next year.
Feber than 5 percent plan on traveling with parents, but that’s understandable considering that the survey participants were ages 50 and older. Instead, chosen family makes up a large percentage of travel buddies, with 22 percent of participants planning a trip with their friends in 2022. However, about the same amount — 23 percent — plan on going solo on their travels. Eight percent of respondents are taking their furbabies along with them!
Over 50 Percent Of Travelers Plan To Stay In Hotels Next Year
More than half of respondents — 54 percent — told us that they planned to stay in a moderately priced hotel or resort on their journeys next year. Meanwhile, 18 percent are going the luxury route by staying at a boutique hotel, and 13 percent are going all out at an all-inclusive resort.
Over a quarter of those surveyed — 29 percent — say they will stay with a friend or at a family home. Twenty-seven percent plan on getting a vacation rental. Only 16 percent will stay at a bed and breakfast, while 12 percent are keeping quarters on a cruise ship, and 12 percent are camping out at a campground.
Area COVID Rates Ranked Least Important To 2022 Travelers
We asked participants to rank what they value most when it comes to travel. The majority value a good value, with affordability ranking at number one for 381 respondents. Over 300 respondents ranked physical safety as their primary concern, while 280 folks ranked health safety, including clean water, low disease transmission, and available health care facilities first. Over 500 respondents ranked “low COVID-19 rates” last in their list of concerns, with flexibility and reliability coming in right behind.
Relaxation Tops 2022 Travelers’ Goals
It may come as no surprise that relaxation topped the list of what people who plan on taking a trip next year are after. When asked to rank what they seek out when traveling, 592 travelers said relaxation was their main goal. However, 391 respondents ranked reconnecting with friends and/or family as numero uno. Volunteer travel came in dead last, with 859 people, or more than half of those surveyed, ranking it at the bottom.
Travelers Plan On Spending A Total Of $4,250 On Average
One of TravelAwaits State of Travel survey questions asked, “How much do you plan on spending, in total, on travel in 2022?” Over 100 respondents, or nearly 8 percent, answered that they plan to spend over $10,000! (And if any of those people are reading this, we are available to come along.) On average, however, participants plan to spend $4,250 total on travel in 2022.
Majority Plan To Travel Domestically Only
Just over half of 2022 travelers — 52.76 percent — plan to keep their travels within the confines of their own country this year. That’s down from 61 percent who planned domestic-only travel in 2021. The top 10 destinations are Florida, California, Texas, New York, Arizona, Las Vegas (Nevada), Colorado, Hawaii, South Carolina, and national parks.
Many of these same states topped our travelers’ lists last year, although that data only has the top eight states. Michigan and Oregon dropped off the radar, while South Carolina, national parks, Las Vegas, and Hawaii squeezed their way into the top. More touristy destinations may have replaced outdoorsy locales; however, some remain — most notably South Carolina and national parks.
More Than 30% Plan To Travel Internationally
Although international travel seemed to be picking back up recently with countries around the world re-opening their borders, the percentage of people who plan to travel internationally hasn’t increased much since last year. Over a third of travelers plan to leave the country this year, including 30 percent who plan on traveling domestically and internationally, as well as 6 percent who plan on taking international trips only. This is only a small increase over the 32 percent of travelers who planned on traveling internationally in 2021. One could chalk this up to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 rearing its ugly head, but this is just conjecture.
The top 10 international destinations our readers want to visit in 2022 are Italy, Canada, Mexico, Paris (France), Spain, Ireland, London (England), Germany, Scotland, and Greece.
Where Our Readers Want To Retire
Our readers have really been enjoying our articles on retirement, so we decided to include questions about retirement plans in this year’s State of Travel survey. In an open-ended question, we asked, “If you could retire to a different state or country, where would you choose?”
Several warm-weather states topped the list of places to retire in the U.S. with Florida, Hawaii, Arizona, and Texas taking the lead. Colorado, North Carolina, Tennessee, California, South Carolina, and Montana rounded out the top 10 places our readers want to retire. The top five countries where our readers would choose to retire are Italy, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and Costa Rica.
Affordability Ranked #1 Concern In Retirement
Nearly 500 respondents — 471 to be exact — ranked affordability as the most important factor when deciding where to live in retirement. Coming in at a close second, 352 people ranked “near family” as their top concern. A few hundred (302) ranked weather as a top priority, which makes sense considering all of the sunny states they’d choose to retire in! Only 262 people ranked “lifestyle” as the most important factor when deciding where to retire. Healthcare was the primary consideration for 167 respondents, while a mere 61 ranked tax incentives first.
Over Half Travel To Explore Retirement Living Options
Choosing a place to retire is kind of like picking a college — you’ve got to go check out the campus to make sure it’s a good fit! Or do you? Half of our respondents said they have traveled or plan to travel to explore retirement living options, while 44 percent have not and do not plan to.