What would Americans do for a free trip? [Reality checks ft. Hilary Fischer-Groban]

The latest episode of Reality checks with Brian Reitz features Hilary Fischer-Groban, Senior Director of Brand, Insights, and Communications at Tripadvisor.

Fischer-Groban has more than 15 years leadership experience across a diversity of sectors, including direct-to-consumer, e-commerce, and fem-tech. Her episode of Reality checks explores how Americans are thinking about travel in 2025, and the increased focus on “experiences”.

"It really used to feel like people had a destination in mind, and then they would pick a hotel... and then the rest of it was sort of put around those tentpoles,” said Fischer-Groban. “I feel like there’s going to be a shift.”

To uncover the reality, Hilary Fischer-Groban from Tripadvisor and the YouGov team collaborated on a five-question survey of 1,000 Americans, exploring booking considerations, what makes a good tour, the best travel companions, and more.

What is most important when booking a vacation?

When it comes to booking leisure trips, Americans prioritize destination above all else. YouGov's survey with Tripadvisor’s Fischer-Groban reveals that over half of U.S. adults (51%) consider the destination or location as the most crucial factor when planning their vacations.

Notably, experiences and activities on the trip rank second in importance during the booking process, with 17% of respondents placing it as their top priority - surpassing even accommodations, which 12% consider most important.

This data suggests – as Fischer-Groban predicted - that while the "where" of travel remains paramount, the "what" of the journey is increasingly significant to American travelers, potentially reflecting a growing desire for more immersive and engaging travel experiences.

What makes a great tour?

32% of survey respondents selected the setting of the tour, such as a cave or a safari, as the most significant highlight.

Younger Americans, particularly those aged 18-44, place significantly more importance on the setting of the tour, with 37% of 18-29 year-olds and 39% of 30-44 year-olds citing it as the primary attraction.

In contrast, older Americans aged 65 and above show a stronger preference for the tour's content, with 28% valuing the educational aspects most, while only 23% of this age group consider the setting as the highlight.

Gender variances become more apparent in other aspects of the tour experience. While men are more than twice as likely as women to consider the tour guide as the highlight (8% of men vs. 4% of women), women are more than twice as likely as men to appreciate takeaway items and photo opportunities from the experience (7% of women vs. 3% of men).

Who’s the best travel companion?

Exactly half of Americans (50%) said a spouse or partner accompanied them on their most fulfilling vacation. This sentiment increases with age, with 66% of Americans aged 65+ citing them compared to just 26% of those aged 18-29.

Men are much more likely than women to say their spouse or partner joined them on their most fulfilling trip (56% men vs 45% women), whereas women are more likely to have said children (24% women vs 20% men).

The data also shows that those aged 30-64 are more likely to cite a trip with children as their most fulfilling than those 65 and older, who presumedly have more full family trips to choose from and instead picked something more intimate.

Interestingly, the 30-44 age group shows a higher preference for solo trips compared to extended family outings, possibly indicating a desire for independence or self-discovery during this life stage.

The 45-64 age group demonstrates some unexpected trends, being more fulfilled by trips with a dog than with brothers or fathers.

16% of Americans aged 18-29 have never had a fulfilling leisure trip or vacation, nearly double the rate of the average American (9%).

How much are Americans spending on travel in Fall and Winter 2025?

More than half of Americans (53%) plan to maintain or increase their spending on travel experiences in the latter half of 2023, though there's a slight overall trend towards reduced spending, with 27% planning to spend less compared to 23% intending to spend more.

Notably for travel companies, the 30-44 age group bucks this trend, showing a higher propensity to increase expenditure on travel experiences through December 2025.

The survey, conducted in early July, also revealed that 18% of respondents were still uncertain about their travel spending plans for the rest of the year, suggesting many booking decisions yet to be made ahead of the upcoming holiday season.

What would Americans do for a free trip?

The last question of our Reality checks survey asked respondents to rank six unusual conditions for a free weeklong travel experience from most to least likely to accept. Here are the key findings for each condition:

1. Unknown destination: This was the most popular choice, with 26% ranking it as their top preference, suggesting many travelers are open to surprise and adventure, at least relative to many of the other options.
2. Not speaking the native language: This condition had a relatively even distribution across rankings, indicating it's a moderate concern for most Americans, though for international travelers, not speaking the language may be a feature, not a bug.
3. No pictures or videos: While this restriction was somewhat evenly distributed across rankings, slightly more people (21%) ranked it as their top choice compared to other options.
4. Only packing one outfit: This was only the first choice for 12%, but it was also only the last choice for 12%, falling somewhere in the middle for the heavy majority of respondents.
5. No phone or internet: This condition was somewhat polarizing, with 15% ranking it first but 54% ranking it fifth or sixth.
6. Randomly assigned travel buddy: This was the least favored option, with 32% ranking it as their last choice, indicating a strong preference for choosing one's own travel companions or traveling solo.

Exploring gender differences to unique travel conditions

Segmenting the unusual travel conditions by gender, reveals some clear preferences. US women are much more likely to embrace the spontaneity of an uncertain destination (50% vs 42% for men) and the challenge of language barriers (40% vs 35% for men). These were the top two ranked travel conditions overall.

Conversely, men appear more comfortable with the less popular options, most notably restrictions on technology and packing.

23% of women selected “You’re assigned a random travel buddy” first or second, compared to 17% of men.