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Travel is all about new experiences and opening yourself up to potentially being uncomfortable, yet three out of four Americans always vacation in the same kinds of places, as reported in Talker. And although only 25 percent have tried novelty, 78 percent say they are willing to take a chance on a new destination, and nearly 75 percent agree that you are missing out if you don’t try something fresh.
The referenced survey of 2,000 adults was created by OnePoll for the West Virginia Department of Tourism and contained a lot of surprises. For instance, Northeasterners are the most likely to stick to their preferred kind of vacation destination. Of the Americans who visit the same destination again (68 percent of the people polled), at least 55 percent of them try to do new experiences and sightsee differently.
And that willingness to stretch one’s neck pays off. Of those who ‘had to’ vacation somewhere that they didn’t think they’d have fun (62 percent of respondents), a huge percent of them ended up really enjoying the trip: 89 percent.
Two out of three people have picked their destination based on taking a recommendation from family or friends—and 92 percent of them enjoyed it.
When respondents were asked to rank ‘underrated states’ that they’d like to visit, West Virginia won at 37 percent, with Rhode Island and Massachusetts tying for second at 31 percent. Next was Mississippi at 30 percent, and Delaware at 27 percent.
When the focus was narrowed from state to underrated vacation spot, the results changed a little bit. Savannah, GA topped the list at 35 percent, St. Petersburg, FL came next at 33 percent, Harpers Ferry, WV followed with 32 percent. Coming in fourth place was Mendenhall Glacier, AK at 31 percent and Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY at 30 percent.
Suffice it to say, even a place you’re not enthusiastic about can turn out to deliver the best vacation ever, so long as you’re open to experiencing it.