Ten percent of travelers pack their slippers, but sneakers top the list as demand for walking tours climbs
DALLAS, Texas (September 5, 2018) – According to a consumer survey by Travelocity, shoes are taking up more space in Americans’ suitcases, with 80 percent of U.S. travelers packing between three and six pairs of shoes for their next vacation[1].
Athletic shoes and sneakers are predictably the most popular shoe type to pack, with sandals (44%) and dress shoes (25%) rounding out travelers’ top choices. Surprisingly, 10 percent of vacationers say they’ll bring a pair of slippers to boot. Travelers would also rather pay baggage fees than skip out on their favorite footwear, with more than half of travelers reporting that they’ll check a bag on their next trip.
When it comes to vacation planning, 70 percent of travelers said style was important, but a majority of respondents planned to pack around the shoes they already had in their closet. Activities also factored into shoe choices. Almost half of respondents (43%) planned to relax on vacation – which explains the slippers – but sightseeing came in second. Travelocity also reported a 30 percent year-over-year increase in demand for sightseeing, specifically walking tours[2]. New Orleans, New York City and Charleston were the most booked U.S. destinations for walking tours, while Athens, Amsterdam and Brazil saw the greatest international demand.
Travelocity also named traveler-favorite destinations where demand for walking tours increased more than 300 percent, including Reykjavik, Philadelphia and Prague.
The consumer survey set out to understand the impact shoes have on travel planning as Travelocity launches a new social sweepstakes on Instagram, Wander to Win. Every Wednesday through October 24, 2018 users that tag @Travelocity in shoe shots from their recent travels with the hashtag #WanderToWin will be entered to win a $500 travel credit from the OTA. The contest capitalizes on growing popularity of the hashtag #wanderingfeet, which features pictures of travelers’ shoes in various destinations across the globe.
The Roaming Gnome, Travelocity’s popular brand mascot, also participated in the survey. His travel shoe of choice is a pair of sturdy black boots in a children’s size six.
Twenty percent of travelers pack like the Roaming Gnome does and bring just one pair of shoes.
[1] Travelocity conducted a survey on August 18th– 21st via Google Consumer Survey of 1,062 U.S. adults traveling within the next 12 months for leisure.
[2] Report based on Travelocity booking data from January 1 – June 30, 2017 and January 1 – June 30, 2018.