How many people travel a year? 30+ Travel Statistics for 2023

Nov 11, 2020

Updated: February 2022

Americans live busy lives and are always on the go. Have you ever wondered how many people travel every day? Every year? Well, in 2019, Americans took 2.29 billion domestic trips. That’s a 2% increase from the previous year. Below, you’ll find more interesting facts about Americans and their travel habits. We'll cover everything from demographics, spending habits, and why Americans travel so much.

Article Contents

American Travel Facts and Statistics: How many people travel a year?
Business Travel and Spending Statistics: How often do people travel for work?
Leisure and Vacation Travel and Statistics: How often do people travel for leisure?
Travel Demographics: What group spends the most on leisure travel?

People travel for many reasons. Some travel to see new places, take in the local art and culture, relieve stress, or even travel for work. US travelers took 1,7797.7 million leisure trips in 2019. Even in a pandemic, 50% of frequent travelers said they were still planning a vacation in 2020. While travel is always high in people's minds, studies show that people do not take enough vacation time from work. Americans are taking 2.6 fewer vacation days on average than they were in the 2000s.

Statistics (Editors Picks)

US travelers took 466.2 Million domestic business trips and 1,779.7 million leisure trips in 2019
Nearly 74% of US domestic trips are for leisure
A Survey of 2700 frequent travelers conducted by Travel Leaders Network said 50% of people surveyed said they are planning a 2020 vacation
- Half of those surveyed said they would fly to their destination (45%)
- 25% of them said they would drive to their destination
- Less than 20% (18%) said they plan to cruise
1.3 million business trips are taken every day, according to the Global Business Travel Association
Almost 10% of business trips that were taken were actually “bleisure” trips.
Business travel only accounts for 12% of flight tickets. However, business travelers spend roughly twice as much on airfare than non-business travelers.
According to Allianz Global Assistance, one-third of Americans have not enjoyed a vacation in over 2 years.
- 36% of Americans took a vacation more than 2 years ago
- 51% have not taken a vacation in over a year
Visits to see friends and family made up about 24% of cross country travel. During Christmas, cross country travel increases to 43%, and for Thanksgiving, it increases to 53%
Weekend trips are the most popular way to vacation for Gen Xers (16%), followed by Millennials (12%) and finally Boomers (11%).
Millennials spent $200 billion on travel in 2018 alone.
- About 33% of millennials budgeted more than $5000 for vacations
- About 40% of Millennials will plan and book a trip with friends.
Average trips taken by age group:
- Millennials 6.2 days
- Gen X 6.4 days
- Gen Z 6.6 days
- Boomers 7.8
An average of 17.4 paid time off days was used by Americans last year. That’s 2.6 fewer vacation days Americans used to take in the 2000s.

American Travel Facts and Statistics

How Many People Travel a Year?

In 2019, Americans took 2.29 billion domestic trips. Out of those trips, 464 million were for business travel. Even while there is a pandemic going on, travel is expected to drop by 40%. However, this won’t stop Americans from planning their next trip. Of those surveyed, 50% of frequent travelers said they are still planning a vacation in 2020. Half said that they would fly to their destination. While planning a vacation, budging the cost is always a factor while making decisions. On average, a 4-night domestic vacation costs about $581, or $144 a day. Broken down, that's about $224 spent on transportation, $150 on lodging, $155 on food/beverage, and $55 on entertainment. Americans travel for different reasons. 82% surveyed traveled to relax or reduce stress. 81% said they want to create memorable experiences, and 78% said they travel for fun, excitement, and experience.

Key Statistics:

25 million international tourists in 1950 is the estimated figure determined by The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). 68 years later, tourism increased to 1.4 billion international travels per year. That’s a 56% increase!

In 2019, Americans took 2.29 billion domestic trips (2% increase from the previous year)
80% of domestics trips are for leisure
Business travel accounted for 464 million trips
Travel spending in the US
Domestic travelers spent $972 billion (4.4% increase)
International travelers spend $155 Billion while visiting the US ( 1.8% decrease)
11% of travelers were solo travelers. It may not sound significant, but that’s a 134% increase since 2008.
Excluding Canada and Mexico, approximately 37.9 Million Americans traveled overseas in 2019. A decrease from the previous year of 41.77 million overseas travelers.
The U.S Travel Association by Tourism economics forecasts a 40% drop in travel spending in 2020. From $972 billion in 2019 to $583 billion in 2020. Inbound international spending is expected to plummet 75%, from $155 billion to 39 billion.
U.S travelers took 466.2 million domestic business trips and 1,779.7 million for leisure.
The average 4-night domestic vacation is $581 (or $144 per day). Broken down that’s:
- $224 spent on transportation
- $150 in lodging
- $155 food/beverage
- $52 for entertainment
Americans on average spend $1,979 on summer vacation
80% of families take a vacation during summer

Why Americans Travel:

85% to see my child excited about the experience
82% to relax/reduce stress
81% to make memories
78% for fun, excitement, and adventure
73% to see or do something new
72% to see more of the world
66% to strengthen a relationship with a significant other
65% to strengthen bonds with family and friends
60% to improve the outlook on life
55% to learn something new about a place, culture, or history
40% to continue a family tradition
35% to cross off an item on the bucket list

Sources:

Business Travel and Spending Statistics

How Often Do People Travel for Work?

Out of the 2.9 billion domestic trips, only 463 million of these trips were for business. Broken down, that's about 1.3 million business trips every day. Business travel has always had a luxurious and elevated feeling. Airlines and airports have business class seating and business lounges to cater to the business traveler. While business travelers only account for 12% of flight tickets, they generate 2x more money than non-business travelers. This could be the reason why 10% of business trips can be classified as “bleisure” trips.

Key Statistics:

In 2018, Americans took around 463 million domestic business trips. 38% of those trips were to travel to a meeting or event
Business travel costs are expected to hit $1.7 trillion by 2022
Every day, 1.3 million business trips are taken in the US, according to the Global Business Travel Association
10% of business trips can be classified as “bleisure” trips
Business travelers only account for 12% of flight tickets; however, they generate 2 times more money per person than non-business travelers.

Leisure and Vacation Travel and Statistics

How Often Do People Travel for Leisure?

“What are you planning for your summer vacation?” is a phrase that everyone asks. That’s because 80% of leisure travel is done during the summer. Of course, people travel throughout the year for leisure. Overnight trips and visiting friends and family make up about 24% of cross country travel. However, one can assume that the holidays are another big traveling event. Cross country travel goes up 43% during Christmas and 54% during Thanksgiving. This is probably the reason why 76% of domestic travelers stayed with friends or relatives while traveling for pleasure.

Key Statistics:

The majority of domestic travelers (76.5% of travelers) traveling or pleasure or vacation stayed at relatives or friends' homes
Families that vacation together
- 3% of families expected to go on a road trip this year
- 40% of families plan on going on a vacation
- 35% of tourists are families
- 22% of family vacations are road trips
One-third of Americans have not enjoyed a vacation in over 2 years.
36% of Americans took a vacation more than 2 years ago
51% have not taken a vacation in over a year
- Visits to see friends and family made up about 24% of cross country travel. During Christmas, cross country travel increases to 43%, and for Thanksgiving, it increases to 53%
- An average of 17.4 paid time off days was used by Americans last year. That’s 2.6 fewer vacation days Americans used to take in the 2000s.
80% of vacations are taken in the summer

Travel Demographics

What Group Spends the Most on Leisure Travel?

It's the price that is always in the back of one's mind when planning a trip. The average amount spent on vacation is $1,179. Also, the average household spends about 10% of their income on a vacation, and some even spend up to 15%. While people like spending good money on a great experience, Millennials were among the highest spenders on vacations. Millennials spent $200 billion on travel in 2019. Some even budget $5,000 for vacations or frequent travel. Gen Xers spend about $2628 on travel, and boomers average $1,865. Since Millennials are well-traveled, one may think that Americans are the most well-traveled nation in the world. That award goes to Finland. While Americans travel an average of 6.7 trips a year, Finland holds the title of “well-traveled” nation with 7.8 trips a year. Sweden comes in third place with 6 trips a year. While not a nation, it should also be said that the citizens of Hong Kong are the most well-traveled citizen with 11.4 trips a year. (Well-traveled citizen and not nation, as Hong Kong, is part of China but operates autonomously )

Who takes the most weekend trips?

Gen X (16%)
Millennials (12%)
Baby Boomers (11%)

Key Statistics:

40% of Millennials planned to book a trip with friends in 2020
According to homeway.com, Gen Xers will take the most leisure trips with an average of 3-4 leisure trips a year.
Millennials take an average of 35 vacation days a year and travel the most
51% of Boomers and Gen Xers will go on a domestic trip compared to Millennials at 42%
Millennials spent $200 billion on travel and 33% of the budget $5,000+ for vacations
Average Millennial vacation is $1,373
Average Gen X vacation is $2,628
Average Boomer vacation is 42%
Average trips taken by age group:
- Millennials 6.2 days
- Gen X 6.4 days
- Gen Z 6.6 days
- Boomers 7.8

Which Nationality Travels the Most?

Finland 7.5 trips
The United States 6.7 trips
Sweden 6 trips
Denmark 5.3 trips
Hong Kong was revealed to have the most well-traveled citizens at 11.4 international trips a year! (While technically not a country, Hong Kong operates separately from China).

Which Nationality Spends the Most?

A study done by Bankrate said that Americans' average amount spent on vacations is $1,979

Americans, on average, spend 10% of their annual income on vacations
A quarter said they spend more than 15%

Conclusion

Americans love to travel, whether it's to cross something out of their bucket list, to a theme park, or even just an overnight trip. Americans are always looking forward to their next adventure. Americans are well-seasoned travelers and will still look to book a vacation even during a pandemic. As much as Americans love to travel, they are not taking enough vacation days off from work. An average of 17.4 vacation days was used last year; that's 2.6 days less than what people were taking off during the 2000s.

Sources:

Cover Photo Credit: John Matychuk