Weekend getaways: new travel trend
Travel marketers might want to cash in with a new travel trend: weekend trips. These getaways are increasingly appealing to Americans, with 225 million such trips taken last year.
That was an increase of more than 10 percent in just five years, according to the Travel Industry Association’s (TIA) U.S. Domestic Leisure Travel Report.
The shoulder seasons of April/May and September/October have become prime weekend getaway times (32%), about equal to the summer months (31%). Data from the report is based on the new TIA TravelScope®/DIRECTIONS® survey by DKS&A.
Weekend travelers are much more likely than the typical leisure traveler to stay in a hotel or bed & breakfast (58% vs. 44%). And because they stay just 2.2 nights on average, they don’t waste any time – weekend travelers manage to include more activities on their trips than leisure travelers overall.
The most popular activities during weekend trips: eating out, entertainment, shopping, and sightseeing.
“Weekend travelers spend more money, have higher incomes and participate in a greater number of activities,” said Dr. Suzanne Cook, Senior Vice President of Research for TIA.
She added:
“Travel packages specifically tailored to this market combine the memorable activities the short-stay traveler is looking for, such as entertainment, dining and sightseeing tours—all doable over a two- or three-day getaway.”
As expected, a large share of weekend trips are taken by male/female couples (43%); however, more than one-quarter of these trips are taken by families with children (28%).
Weekend getaways are more likely than other leisure trips to be taken by upper-income households, with 42% of such trips taken by households with incomes over $75,000. Weekend travelers spend an average of $416 on their trips, excluding the cost of transportation to their destination, compared to $360 for overall trips.
Report by David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
Qatar Airways offers reduced timetable to over 60 destinations
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Hands In, UATP join forces for airline multi-card payments
Overseas travelers to the United States declined by 2.5% in 2025