{"id":17640,"date":"2013-08-07T00:04:47","date_gmt":"2013-08-07T00:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/?p=17640"},"modified":"2021-10-28T16:43:07","modified_gmt":"2021-10-28T16:43:07","slug":"travel-spontaneously-with-expedia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.com\/stories\/travel-spontaneously-with-expedia\/","title":{"rendered":"Travel spontaneously with Expedia"},"content":{"rendered":"

If money were no object and the only stipulation was that you had to leave at this very moment, would you take a spontaneous trip? If so, where would you go? These questions of peoples’ spontaneity and travel habits were just the questions that Expedia sought out to answer in its most recent survey, conducted online by Harris Interactive in July among over 2,000 U.S. adults age 18+. Participants were asked questions about everything from what spontaneous activities they do, what types of last-minute trips they take, and how their mobile devices influence their travel planning. By downloading the Expedia app, travelers have access to build a spontaneous trip on the fly; and for winners of the Trip-A-Day Giveaway (eligibility for U.S. residents only)<\/strong>, they\u2019ll have a $1200 Expedia voucher to help make their trip a reality. Since you know you could have $1200 in your pocket to travel with, now would you consider a spontaneous trip?<\/p>\n

What did this reveal about Americans’ spontaneity? First of all, it showed that in general, Americans feel they are spontaneous: with 9 out of 10 participants (92%) considering themselves at least a little spontaneous, whether this means going impulse shopping, \u201cpaying it forward\u201d by treating someone else with something kind, or taking a last-minute trip. As travel pros, we loved to hear that approximately one-third of Americans take last-minute trips out of town (30%). We know that getting away from the wind and grind of daily life, household chores, and responsibilities at work can be tough – but it turns out a good chunk of people make a point of doing just that!<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

So what does this have to do with you, the traveler? Well, a lot actually. The Harris study found that a large percentage of mobile users have used their smartphone to book a trip. 28% of smartphone owners have used their mobile device to book a hotel and 34% indicated they haven\u2019t yet, but intend to. This study, coupled with Expedia’s own data, shows that of American adults who make travel reservations from their phone, 78% are fulfilled in less than one month. This is reinforced by Expedia’s own data that over half of the hotel stays booked on a mobile device are for bookings that begin in less than 24 hours. More and more, people are turning to their smartphone to book last minute trips.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/div>\n

While this type of spontaneous travel may seem to be only accessible for the wealthy, it really isn’t. Sure, peak times, such as holidays, can mean increased travel prices on the day of a trip, but with Expedia’s mobile app, travelers can get steeply discounted hotel rates, as well as mobile-only deals that can’t be found elsewhere. I know what you may be thinking: can I really book an entire trip using Expedia’s mobile app? Well we recently took to the street to ask people in a new television advertisement. We showed people how easy it was to book their trip on the Expedia mobile app, even offering to pay for someone’s trip! The one caveat: they had to drop everything to travel right away. One person took us up on our offer, and was given a free trip to the Great Wall of China.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Read all the findings from Expedia’s Spontaneous Travel Report<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

In the spirit of finding your spontaneity, customers who download the Expedia app on their compatible Android or iOS devices will be entered into the Expedia\u00ae Trip-A-Day Giveaway. A winner will be selected each day and given a $1200 coupon to put towards any trip booked through Expedia. More info about Expedia’s mobile app and the Expedia\u00ae Trip-A-Day Giveaway can be found at www.expedia.com\/tripaday<\/a>.<\/p>\n

So download the app today and check out some of the great deals – right in your neighborhood or even on the opposite side of the country. Embrace your spontaneity and maybe you’ll win a trip on us! Meanwhile, join us this week to continue the spontaneous travel conversation:<\/span><\/p>\n