Travel Poll: One-quarter plan higher vacation spending

By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Second-grade teacher Susan Iery and her family plan to pack their suitcases and swimsuits to drive from Manchester, Ohio, to Disney World this summer on a vacation that is more expensive than usual.

An Associated Press poll suggests there are plenty more vacationers like her this year.

Almost one-quarter of those surveyed in an AP poll conducted by ICR/International Communications Research of Media, PA, say they expect to spend more on getaways than they did a year ago. About six out of 10 say they expect to spend as much on vacations in 1999 as in 1998.

"This is the first year we've been able to get away," said Iery, who notes her 5-year-old son is now old enough for car travel, their preferred way to see the country.

"It's usually the only way we go," she said. "It's more affordable and we need a car when we get there. We like to stop and mosey around."

The strong economy was a big factor for Darroll Dawkins, a 20-year-old junior college student from New York City. He plans to fly to Jamaica in the summer.

"Money isn't that much of a problem, it's been a good year with the economy," he said. "Being able to save money made a lot of difference."

The typical American likes to vacation in the summer, travel by car and spend a week or less on the trip, according to the poll. Almost two-thirds said they expect their longest vacation this year to last less than a week.

"I manage an office and it is difficult to take more than one week at a time," said Coleman Hart, a 51-year-old insurance adjuster from Cape Coral, Fla. "I steal a day and make a long weekend to travel or get out on holiday weekends like Memorial Day."

This year, Hart and his wife plan a winter cruise to the Caribbean, a dramatic, if expensive, way to celebrating her completing school.

About a quarter in the poll said they would spend less than $500 on vacation; four out of 10 said they would spend between $500 and $1,500.

Summer travelers will spend an average of $213 a day for a family of four, according to estimates from the AAA travel service. That figure is $3 higher per day compared with 1998.

A 10-day trip to the Smoky Mountain resort town of Gatlinburg, Tenn., fills the bill nicely for Chris Hughes, a Bristol, Tenn., mother of four with another on the way.

"We bought a house a couple of years ago," she said. "It seems like the finances are better for a trip this year."

According to the poll:

• About half said they prefer to travel in the summer, while almost a fourth said fall and one out of six said spring. Winter was the choice of 9 percent.

• A majority of adults between 18 and 55 prefer summer trips. For those from 55 to 64, fall was almost as popular as summer. For those 65 and older, spring and fall were more popular for vacations than summer.

• The percentage of people taking three-week vacations increases steadily as they get older.

• Driving, 55 percent, was the most popular mode of vacation travel, followed by flying at 30 percent, bus travel at 3 percent, cruises at 3 percent and train at 2 percent.

• Only those who made $50,000 or more preferred to fly as much as drive.

The phone survey of 1,008 people was conducted May 21-25 and has an error margin of plus or minus 3 percentage points.

Gas prices have increased in recent months, but travel officials say they do not expect that to have an impact on the vacation season.

They expect a very busy summer vacation season, because of the strong economy, low unemployment and consumer confidence.

"This is going to be a big year," said Jack Mannix, managing director of travel-related services for AAA. "There's almost a sense of entitlement about vacations. They feel like it's a learning experience, time to be with family, time to rest and recharge batteries."