Family Spring Break Travel Trends - 34% Flying This Year

Bank of America, which is promoting its new high-reward BankAmericard Travel Rewards charge card, has completed an interesting survey of American families' spring break plans and published a fun infographic with the key results.

For their research, they reached about 15,000 members of the general public, chosen at random, and a roughly equal number of men and women agreed to participate in the survey.

BEACHES REMAIN #1 FAMILY DESTINATION

When asked, "How do you chose a destination for your family to visit?" it's no surprise to us that Beaches came in first; they always do. But, we were surprised to see that theme parks / carnivals came in a very close second, appealing to 2  out of 3 traveling families. (For more spring break getaway ideas, see this "Sun, Snow and Sea Spring Break Getaways" roundup.)

Survey results indicated the top attractions for families at a destination were:

1. Beaches (65%)
2. Theme parks/carnivals/festivals (64%)
3. Zoos/aquariums (55%)
4. Landmarks/monuments (53%)
5. National parks (48%)
6. Museums/cultural sites (44%),
7. Concerts/theatre (18%) 
8. Sports facilities (16%)

HOTELS ARE BIGGEST EXPENSE FOR FAMILIES

In terms of expenses, the hotel or lodging used is considered the biggest cost, as more families choose 'away' vacations rather than just visits to stay with relatives.  In terms of how they spent their vacation dollars, respondents said the top costs were: 

1. Hotel/lodging/vacation rental (47%)
2. Plane/train ticket (32%)
3. Gas/tolls/car rentals (10%)
4. Food (4%)
5. Activities (6%)

CREDIT CARD & LOYALTY POINTS ARE WIDELY USED

When asked "Will you use a credit card to help plan the vacation?" a full 77% of American polled said yes, that it was an essential element in their budget planning.  Additionally, nearly 2 out of 3 (62%) travelers were cashing in reward points to cover vacation costs. 

We have not tried the new BankAmericard Travel Rewards credit card but, according to their spokesperson, the card earns 1.5 points for every dollar spent on all purchases -- generating reward points that can be used for hotels, vacation packages, cruises, rental cars, baggage fees, Theme Park tickets and even upgrades to 1^st class as you go about your daily life spending on everyday items. 

Travelers who have a qualifying Bank of America account get an annual 10% customer points bonus on total purchases, another perk that makes this travel card worth looking into.

Please share your tips for using mileage, hotel, and loyalty points and rewards when you travel, in the comments section below.





Explore more infographics like this one on Visually.