Inflation and lack of time do not keep people hungry for vacation from traveling. According to Expedia’s 23rd Vacation Deprivation Study, inflation, under-staffing and busy schedules are driving global vacation deprivation to the highest levels in a decade. Despite these obstacles, the study found that the vast majority of travelers plan to travel as much or more in 2023.
66 percent of those surveyed are feeling the effects of inflation, but vacation is still a priority for employees worldwide. On average, they are twice as likely to spend less on grocery shopping and dining out than they are to postpone their vacation, the study found.
Only nine percent want to take fewer vacations due to the economic situation or a possible impending recession. According to the Vacation Deprivation Study, the majority (81 percent) plan to take as many or even more trips than in the past year.
However, what many people obviously face with a challenge is the wide range of vacation options. 56 percent of those surveyed worldwide do not feel up to the research and planning effort required to book a trip. 64 percent feel additionally stressed by the pressure to find a good offer.
Tools that are intended to make travel planning easier can help here. Many travel portal and app providers offer so-called price alerts, which send an e-mail or push notification when prices for certain offers fall.
The study, for which more than 14,500 people in 16 countries were surveyed, also found that 62 percent of working people worldwide suffer from a lack of holidays. That is four percent more than in the previous year. Employees in Mexico (77%), France (71%) and Germany (70%) feel particularly ready to take a vacation.
On a global average, employees had around 20 vacation days at their disposal last year, but not all of them were taken. Employees in France left most vacation days unused – an average of 5.6 days with an average of 28.6 days entitlement. In Germany, where employees have an average of 28.3 vacation days, according to the study, employees took four days less than they were entitled to.
