Survey discovers differing travel habits among Republicans and Democrats

DALLAS, Texas – With the election finally upon us, there is no doubt that President Obama and Mitt Romney are fantasizing about taking an extended vacation after their campaign trails come to an end t

DALLAS, Texas – With the election finally upon us, there is no doubt that President Obama and Mitt Romney are fantasizing about taking an extended vacation after their campaign trails come to an end tomorrow. Over the last year, we’ve learned a great deal about each of these candidates, including how and where they prefer to travel. Now, Hotels.comยฎ is taking a closer look at the travel habits of the U.S. citizens that support each candidate.

Domestic Affairs

Using insights from Google Consumer Surveys, Hotels.com found that 86 percent of Republican travelers prefer to stay within the U.S., Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean, while Democrats are 11 percent more likely to explore abroad in overseas destinations such as Europe, the Middle East, or Latin America. Not only are the majority of Americans traveling close to home, according to the survey, but they are spending more domestically on hotels as well โ€“ 5 percent more over last year, according to the latest Hotels.com Hotel Price Index.

Democrats: “Put it on my Tab”

Even though the HPI indicates that consumers are spending more on hotel accommodations than in recent years past, the survey results showed that some are still less inclined to splurge on additional travel expenses than others. When polled, Democrats admitted to spending slightly more on items such as clothing and accessories, as well as drinks with friends and family while traveling for business, whereas both Democrats and Republicans were discovered to be just as likely to expense other amenities such as hotel Wi-Fi, flight upgrades, and room service or upscale dining.

Absentee Ballot

While Democrats are squeezing all they can out of their vacation while they’re on it, Republicans proved to be the group more likely to try and extend their travel plans beyond their ending point. Of the 1,000 respondents included in the survey, Republicans outweighed Democrats by 11 percent when asked if they would call out sick to gain an extra night on their vacation.

Honest as Abe

Luckily for hoteliers, both political groups delivered similar results when asked if they had ever stolen any common items from a hotel room; the majority of each party (Democrats, 88 percent; Republicans 93 percent) voted “nay” when it came to leaving with more items than they checked in with.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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