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Lifestyle pressure reason to book last minute

April 16, 2007 | Online Travel

A new priceline.com survey of consumer trends in booking travel 7 days or less before departure finds that many short-notice travelers are just too busy to book their vacations any further in advance.

A new priceline.com survey of consumer trends in booking travel 7 days or less before departure finds that many short-notice travelers are just too busy to book their vacations any further in advance.

Of the 1,000 consumers who responded to a new priceline.com survey, 30% said they were overscheduled as it is and can�t plan more than 7 days in advance. Only 13% said that concern about personal finances was behind their procrastination. Twenty-seven percent believed they could find better travel deals by waiting to make their purchases.

�It seems that many couples and families stand a better chance of hitting the lottery than planning a vacation weeks or months in advance and making it stick,� said priceline.com�s Chief Marketing Officer Brett Keller. �The grab-it-when-you-can vacation appears to be the preferred way to unwind for Americans stressed out with commitments at home, at the office and with other activities.�

Seventy percent of survey respondents said that they stay 3 nights or fewer when they take a short-notice vacation. Thirty percent said they will vacation 4-7 nights on a spur-of-the-moment whim. Only 4% would book a trip of 8 nights or longer on short notice.

Most consumers (59%) responding to the survey were inclined to buy hotel rooms on short notice, followed by airline tickets (36%) and rental cars (35%). Only 10% of respondents would buy a vacation package on short notice, and 7% would buy a cruise on short notice.

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