Personal Passions Fuel Getaway Plans

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed)
Aug 14th 2008 at 8:02AM

Vacation...Time off...Getaway... no matter which term you use personal travel seems to be driven more by individual interests than any other purpose lately. In a recent survey taken by American Express Travel, 87% of respondents indicate taking trips for the pursuit of personal passions will continue or even increase over the next two years despite economic conditions. Whether you have always wanted to learn top culinary skills, play a new instrument, or attend a sporting event of your dreams putting your vacation funds towards individual enrichment seems to be the trend and personally I am all for it! Here are the top interests shared by Americans:

42% choose destinations for culinary reasons
28% take-off for a sporting event
25% traveled for adventure
21% skipped town for music-related opportunities
15% claimed educational interests for their travel

Most people expressed they are also willing to spend more money and stay longer for vacations that further their personal dreams. If you have time off I think why not grow as a person while enjoying time away from the daily grind.

Tags: American Express, American Express Travel, AmericanExpress, AmericanExpressTravel, AMEX, vacation