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The average American will spend nearly 23 hours on road trips with the family this summer, according to new research.
The poll of 2,000 Americans found that during a typical summer, the average American will experience 11 bathroom breaks over the entire summer travel period — for all the road trips taken.
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, Americans will travel and have to deal with 19 bouts of hunger, 16 “are we there yets,” 18 “how much longers” and 17 “I’m tireds.”
During the summer, the average American is prepared to drive nearly three hours to reach their vacation destination.
The study, conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Quaker State, examined the road trip habits and behaviors of 2,000 Americans and discovered that over the summer, the average American will eat 13 snacks along the way and play 16 car games during their travels.
And 45 percent of those surveyed reveal they even take their pet on the road with them.
But why are Americans choosing to drive to their summer destinations instead of fly?
The biggest reason Americans are packing up the car when traveling to their summer destinations has to do with the simple fact that driving is a lot cheaper than flying, at least according to the 53 percent of those surveyed, who reported this as their number one reason for taking a road trip during the summer.
Other reasons for Americans to drive as opposed to hitting the sky include seeing and experiencing more together (43 percent) and spending quality family time with one another (41 percent).
It’s this quality time that Americans seem to enjoy. In fact, 78 percent of those surveyed revealed they have very fond memories of family road trips over the years.
“Summertime is when families take a break from school and work to come together and vacation with loved ones,” said Jaclyn Chastain, Quaker State Marketing Manager. “Spending time with family, especially in the car, provides some of the best time for bonding.”
A two hour and 53 minute drive is the average that Americans are willing to voyage, whether purely for a road trip or to reach their vacation destination.
During these car rides, Americans will experience three car games and three clamors of "are we there yet."
In fact, the license plate game was chosen as the number one car game played by Americans — with 43 percent enjoying this favorite pastime as they travel to their vacation destination.
But that’s not all that goes down during a long car ride to a vacation destination with the family.
Along the ride, music is played — but which types of jams scored high among the best summer songs to listen to? Rock topped the list of summer songs to listen to in the car, with over half (51 percent) looking forward to rocking out with the family on their way to their vacation destination.
Other high scorers include pop (44 percent), country (41 percent) and hip-hop/rap (37 percent).
From classics by Elvis Presley, The Eagles and Whitney Houston to the contemporary artists like Ed Sheeran, Luke Bryan and Beyoncé, the roads this summer are in for a treat with Americans singing these (and many more) as they travel to their vacation destinations.
With so much time spent in the car during this summer, Americans have their go-to car activities that they do when traveling with the family. Seventy-one percent of those surveyed are big fans of eating snacks in the car while traveling.
Sixty-seven percent like a nice bathroom break stop while a further 66 percent don’t mind stopping for snacks during their summer travels.
However, snacks aren’t the only stops people make when traveling by car. In fact, the number one road trip stop is for fuel. Seven in 10 of those studied revealed they usually stop to fill up on fuel — waiting an average of two hours and 14 minutes of driving before stoping and filling up their gas tank.
With so much worry over the family car, to make sure it gets families to their destinations, Americans have pre-road trip essentials to help make the journey less stressful.
It turns out, the top thing Americans do before heading out for a long drive or family road trip is to check their car’s tires (68 percent).
“With many American’s choosing to travel by car for their summer vacations, it’s important to ensure your vehicle is ready for the trip ahead,” said Jaclyn Chastain, Quaker State Marketing Manager.
Family road trips and long car rides are enjoyable for 77 percent of those studied. But that doesn’t mean they don’t come with their share of stressful moments.
In fact, 68 percent revealed that traffic is the most stressful part of a family road trip.
Another 62 percent admitted bad weather has caused stress while traveling by car and a further 39 percent get stressed making sure the car is working properly whenever they travel long distances with the family.
TOP 5 CAR GAMES
1. License plate game 43%
2. I spy 37%
3. 21 questions 32%
4. Phone/tablet games 31%
5. Bingo 27%
TOP 5 STRESSFUL PARTS OF A FAMILY ROAD TRIP
1. Traffic 68%
2. Bad weather 62%
3. Making sure the car is properly working 39%
4. Keeping the kids entertained 38%
5. Bringing enough food/snacks for the road 30%
TOP 5 PRE-ROAD TRIP ESSENTIALS
1. Checking the car’s tires 68%
2. Making sure enough gas is in the car 68%
3. Checking the oil in the car 62%
4. Getting an oil change 54%
5. Making sure enough snacks/food are packed 54%
TOP 5 MOST COMMON ROAD TRIP EXPERIENCES
1. Getting lost/taking a wrong turn 53%
2. Getting a flat tire 43%
3. Someone in the car getting car sick 35%
4. Losing cell reception at a crucial moment 31%
5. Having a child who won’t stop crying 30%
