SAN FRANCISCO- Now more than ever, consumers crave quick, bite-sized experiences to keep up with their fast-paced lifestyles, and travel is no exception. Nearly all Americans (90 percent) prefer short getaways of three nights or less vs. a longer vacation, with millennials in particular fueling the dramatic rise of the quick getaway trend, according to a new survey by online travel site Hotwire.
Even more notably, Hotwire found it’s not just short trip durations that are trending amongst younger travelers. Survey results revealed that millennials have no problem waiting until the last minute to book their travels, embracing both short booking windows and short trips with spontaneous, 2-3 night “quickies.” In the past year, an overwhelming 84 percent of survey respondents between the ages of 23 to 38 have booked a trip one week or less out from their departure day, and 40 percent say they have booked the same day. However, not everyone is as spontaneous as this generation — the survey reveals nearly 1 in 4 Americans have yet to take a spontaneous trip. Well versed in last-minute travel, Hotwire has ranked the country’s best cities for a 72 hour or less getaway.
To create the “America’s Best Cities for a Quickie Index,” Hotwire analyzed more than 10,000 internal and external data points across 250 cities based on three factors: Best Bang for Your Buck (value-20 percent), Ease of Arrival (convenience-20 percent) and Things to Do (leisure-60 percent) to identify the top major, mid-size, small town, and “itty-bitty cities” that make it easy to get in and out on a budget.
America’s Best Cities for a Quickie Index – Top 40
What Makes A Great Quickie City?
When it came to ranking the best cities, these top 40 cities scored highest in the following categories:
Best Bang for Your Buck – Value (20 percent):
• High hotel demand
• Lowest average hotel daily rate
• Lowest average airfare ticket price
Ease of Arrival – Convenience (20 percent):
• Short flight time (number of flights from top 50 U.S. airports that are 3 hours or less)
• Short drive time (number of top 50 U.S. metro areas within 250 miles)
• Shortest distance from airport to city center / downtown
Things to Do – Leisure (60 percent):
• Most number of bars and restaurants
• Most things to do (sites and attractions)
• Least number of rainy days
“We love that people are becoming more flexible when it comes to booking travel, and that travelers are getting more comfortable with the idea that you don’t have to plan in advance to save money, since the opposite is true!” said Neha Parikh, president, Hotwire.
Hotwire collaborated with 21 of its top destinations on the “America’s Best” Index to create custom “quickie” itineraries to help guide travelers to the must-see’s and must do’s in each city, including locally recommended restaurants, bars, attractions, transportation and a few hidden gems to make the most of their one, two, or three day getaway.
