Prodege’s 2023 Summer Survey: 55% of Americans Plan to Travel This Summer

• 45% will travel more than last summer.
• 73% plan to drive with 36% planning to fly to their summer destinations.
• 62% plan to attend a cookout with friends or family this summer.
• 93% plan to spend about the same amount or more on hosting cookouts this summer.
• Margaritas top the list of cocktails Americans plan to serve at summer cookouts.

EL SEGUNDO, Calif., May 24, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Prodege, a cutting-edge consumer marketing and insights platform, today released the results from its annual summer travel, entertaining and Memorial Day survey. The findings show that 70% will kick off the summer with a Memorial Day cookout and summer travel is on the rise. 

Other Key Findings

Travel

• Time for Vacay?: 55% plan to travel this summer, with 45% indicating they will travel more than last summer.
• Top Holiday Travel: The top holiday for summer travel is the 4th of July (26%), while 30% say they plan to travel at a non-holiday time. 26% are still finalizing their travel plans, getting calendars aligned and monitoring gas prices.
• Where They Stay: 61% will be checking into a hotel or motel, while 37% will stay with friends or family.
• By Air or By Vehicle: 73% of those planning to travel this summer intend to drive to their destination(s) with 36% planning to fly.

Cookouts

• Holiday Celebrations: 4th of July is the top summer holiday for cookouts (84%), followed by Memorial Day (70%).
• Summer Soirée Splurges: 93% plan to spend about the same amount (48%) or more (45%) than last summer on hosting cookouts. 53% plan to spend more than $100 when hosting a cookout.
• Grilling Season Commences: 44% say that “BBQ/meat cooked on the grill” is the food they associate most with summer with 90% planning on grilling burgers at their cookout. Other popular cookout foods include:
  • Hotdogs (82%)
  • Chicken (66%)
  • Corn on the cob (59%)
• On the Rocks With Salt: Of those planning to serve cocktails at their summer cookouts (32%), 76% say they plan to serve margaritas. Other top summer cocktails include:
  • Vodka sodas (46%)
  • Rum punch (45%)
  • Sangria (36%)

Summer Spending

• The Shopping List: 48% say they plan on purchasing new summer clothes. Other top items to purchase this summer include:
  • Grilling accessories (24%)
  • A new bathing suit or cover-up (21%)
  • Items for outdoor entertaining: patio furniture, Slip ‘n Slides, lawn games, etc. (18%)
• Holiday Deals: When it comes to Memorial Day weekend sales and promotions, 34% plan to shop for clothing and 18% say they will shop for shoes or lawn & garden items.

Memorial Day Observances

• A Day Off: 81% won’t be working or attending school on Memorial Day
• Acknowledging the Meaning: 47% plan to honor the holiday’s origins with 20% of those planning to wear patriotic colors and 19% planning to fly their flag.

Prodege conducted this online survey on May 9-11, 2023 using its AI-enabled DIY programming solution, Pollfish to survey 1,000 respondents representative of U.S. general population with +/-3% margin of error.

Read the full release here!