The Current State of Domestic Family Travel Heading Into Summer 2024

With quality time, relaxation and discovery top of mind, there’s a significant increase in the number of family travelers searching for accommodations this summer.

New data from Booking.com shows a 64 percent increase in family accommodation searches compared to last year. 

Additionally, domestic family travel appears to be on the rise, with 41.5 percent of families opting for flights within the U.S., per the Booking.com data.

Beyond U.S. travelers, families globally are showing a strong interest in travel, with accommodation searches seeing an 8 percent increase and flight searches rising by 21 percent compared to last year.

The analysis also reveals a few additional developments that Booking.com says are “shaping family travel” for 2024, including the “top motivations” for family travel—though it’s unclear how these motivations differ from previous years and many are also fairly standard motivations for travel, in general:

• Quality time: Almost two-thirds (62 percent) of U.S. families rank spending quality time as the main motivator for traveling this year
• Relaxation: 51 percent of families seek relaxation during their travels
• Discovery: 48 percent of family travelers aim to discover new place
• Culinary Exploration: 40 percent of families globally are inspired to travel to try food seen on a show or movie, highlighting the influence of popular media on travel choices 

In one of the report’s more intriguing takeaways, it seems family travel this summer is set to “redefine the meaning of well-traveled children.”

The Booking.com data reveals that 32 percent of global flight searches by Americans include plans to travel with at least one child, which the report says underscores “a trend of families seeking meaningful travel experiences together.”

There are also a few destinations trending among family travel searches. They include beach destinations such as Siesta Key and St. Pete Beach in Florida, Nags Head in North Carolina and Gulf Shores in Alabama.

The top global trending destinations for families this summer include Albania, Morocco, Spain, Japan, Brazil and Croatia.

Budget-friendly destinations are also seeing increased popularity this summer, with inflation continuing to be a challenge for many families. The booking.com data shows that 51 percent of U.S. families are seeking good value for their money as they search for vacation destinations.

What’s more, over half (58 percent) of American travelers plan to visit destinations where the cost of living is lower than their hometown, and 69 percent are planning tighter travel budgets to enjoy their vacations while staying within their means. 

Equally notably, almost two-thirds (64 percent) of American travelers are paying closer attention to travel deals and 70 percent are focusing on discounts through loyalty programs.

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