Planning a vacation this summer? Be sure to do your research and plan wisely, as new research from Travelocity reveals as many as 48 percent of travelers have experienced stress caused by a “travel setback”.
The study of 2,000 Americans looked into the travel setbacks typically experienced by travelers and the various ways that they express their frustrations.
Despite the typical traveler spending nearly three weeks (20 days) planning a trip on average, there are many pitfalls that can’t be foreseen – The most commonly experienced setbacks included delayed or canceled flights, disappointing hotel rooms and nightmare traffic.
According to a Travelocity spokesperson, “While travelers spend weeks or even months deciding where to go on vacation, many don’t think as hard about where they book that vacation. With almost half of travelers experiencing the stress of a travel setback, the importance of being able to get help 24/7 can’t be underestimated. That’s why Travelocity offers every customer the promise of the Customer First Guarantee, offering 24 hours to cancel flights for free and a price match guarantee.”
Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of those who had previously reported having a travel setback were unfortunate enough to experience one during the last vacation they went on.
Delayed flights and hotel disappointments are the most disheartening travel setbacks survey respondents had to endure during their last trip.
And these setbacks not only cause stress and anxiety, but results show there is often a financial toll too- in 56 percent of instances people lost out on money, with $323 the average loss.
The average traveler surveyed waited 25 minutes to get an initial response from customer service when reporting their setback.
The Travelocity spokesperson continues, “During a trip, time is of the essence. A recent study commissioned by Travelocity showed that our social media customer service is the most responsive of any full-service online travel agency - allowing our customers to get their issues resolved, and get on with their travels.”
Travelers experiencing a setback don’t do so silently. The survey of 2,000 Americans by Travelocity showed 94 percent said they voiced their complaints in some form.
Millennials favor complaining via social media and writing a bad review - but they are less likely to speak with management compared to older generations.
Generation X and Baby Boomers, on the other hand, prefer to speak with hotel staff or mail a letter to the company headquarters.
Older generations perceive that they experience better service than do millennials, who are almost five times more likely than those over 56 to feel the service received was not up to scratch (15% v 3%).
However, millennials are also more forgiving as they are less likely to refrain from using the services of a company after a bad customer service experience.
A Travelocity spokesperson summed things up in this way, “It’s inevitable that not everything will go perfectly during a trip - but that’s why we are there, to set things right and get you on your way. And remember - even given these setbacks, our survey also showed that two-thirds of travelers were “very satisfied” with their last vacation - demonstrating that the good far outweighs the bad.”
TOP 15 MOST COMMON TRAVEL SETBACKS
Disappointed by hotel room
Heavy traffic during road trip vacations
Became ill on vacation
Canceled flights
Other hotel guests were noisy/rude
Bad seats on flights
Disappointed by overall hotel /didn't live up to reviews/expectations
Excessively long lines/waits at attractions
Airline lost your luggage
Flat tires/car malfunctions
Got Lost
No Wifi / Bad Cell Service
Extra baggage fees you didn't expect
Caught in a storm/natural disaster
Extra charges you didn't expect or thought were included (wi-fi, breakfast, alcohol, etc.)
***This random double-opt-in survey was conducted by OnePoll, a market research company and corporate member of ESOMAR and adheres to the MRS code of conduct. For more information about OnePoll’s research in the media, navigate to their portfolio here: http://www.onepoll.com/in-the-media/. This survey of 2000 US adults who vacation once a year on average AND have traveled for vacation in the last 12 months was conducted between June 28, 2017, and July 05, 2017, by Market Researchers OnePoll and commissioned by Travelocity.
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