Older Adults Are Planning More Trips With Bigger Budgets, Our Survey Finds

Three quarters of Americans age 50 and over say they feel safe traveling again — well above the 40 percent who said the same last year — and two-thirds plan to take at least one trip or vacation this year, a new AARP survey finds.

Reservations for trips and vacation rentals are booking up across the country as the travel landscape gets closer to pre-pandemic norms. And although COVID-19 remains a concern for 7 in 10 older adults who plan to travel this year, it’s not deterring them from hitting the road. Only 2 percent of those surveyed said they were absolutely set against traveling this year.

Many plan to splurge on their trips — and not just because of price inflation. Nearly 3 in 5 older adults expect to spend more this year because they’re taking more trips, and nearly 3 in 10 plan on vacationing longer than they normally would. Older adults’ average travel budget this year is nearly $8,400 — well above last year’s $6,739. Likely wary of another COVID-19 flare up, 1 in 5 plan to spend more to lock in flexible or refundable reservations.

Read the report, and learn more about travel in 2022.