Baby boomers spend $3,000 a year on trips, but leave the kids at home

Baby boomers like to hit the road on short getaways rather than a big once-a-year-trip and spend an average of $3,000 annually on vacation travel, a new survey says. And when they go, it’s usually with their spouse or partner -- not with children or grandkids.

The findings released Thursday come from a survey of 12,000 AARP members who also said they prefer to drive rather than fly and mostly like to explore the U.S. and Canada.

Travelers in the age 50-plus crowd take two to four trips a year, often with less than two months planning time, according to the survey.

And boomers don’t shy away from using the Internet either. Sixty percent of the budget-conscious travelers said they prefer to stay at hotels and favor those that include Internet connection, breakfast, airport shuttle, business centers and other amenities in the room price.

How do they choose? Most consider comments and ratings at sites such as TripAdvisor and Oyster.com before booking hotels and services.

“We know that our members take a couple of trips a year and stay for about a week, what we call the everyday life travel, traveling short distances to visit family and friends, and they look for the amenities they are used to at home,” Dave Austin, vice president of marketing services, AARP Services Inc, said in a statement.

The survey was conducted by Homewood Suites by Hilton.

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