Commercial airlines transport a considerable number of people every year. In 2016, for example, this amounted to over 3.8 billion passenger flights throughout the world. There were roughly 218 million people traveling either to or from the the United States alone during 2016. While some of these trips may be for business purposes, others are for leisure. Many people throughout the world also combine business with pleasure, of course.
Within the United States, 79% of the domestic trips that Americans take are for leisure purposes. This isn’t surprising given that 96% of employed Americans state that their vacation time is quite important to them. When people have a good work-life balance, they tend to be much more productive. Furthermore, when they return from vacation, they are much more likely to feel well-rested and refreshed.
When choosing where to travel, a recent survey showed that photos and movies often play a part in the decision-making process. This is particularly true for Millennials. The survey showed that 42% of adults within this age group were inspired by seeing photos that were shared with them by friends and family. After seeing a movie with a desirable setting, 18% of the Millennial participants indicated that this influenced their decision.
A survey conducted by TopDeck Travel in 2016 showed that 69% of their Millennial participants were interested in experiencing local foods when they traveled. It’s interesting to note that this was one of their major motivations to travel. “Eating local cuisine” was very important to 98% of the participants as well.
Traveling domestically and internationally can be expensive. Given this, over half of the survey’s Millennial and Gen Xer participants stated that this cost was a barrier to their traveling for leisure purposes. When traveling on a budget, however, it’s important to note that cheap international flights as well as cheap domestic flights are both available.
Whether you’re between college semesters or jobs, have vacation time coming from work, or are retired, there are opportunities to purchase cheap domestic and international flights. If you haven’t traveled out of the United States yet, why not take advantage of cheap international flights? There are so many wonderful sites to see and local cuisines to experience.