Diamonds are no longer a girl's best friend according to new research from Booking.com
A spontaneous surprise trip away tops the list of most meaningful gifts
LONDON – JULY 22, 2015– Forget the old saying ‘diamonds are a girl’s best friend’ because when it comes to meaningful gifts, what we all really, really want is a surprise trip away, so says Booking.com the world leader in booking accommodation online’
The survey, which quizzed 6,620 respondents across six countries about their attitude towards spontaneity revealed that ‘a surprise trip away’ came top of a list of meaningful gifts (53%). The next most popular answer ‘booking a fancy restaurant’ gained only 17% of the vote whilst ‘jewellery/watches’ languished at a paltry 9%.
Beating the Monday Morning Blues
As a surprise trip is our hearts desire it’s perhaps no surprise that this dominates our thoughts – especially at the very start of the working week. Whilst our feet may be firmly under our desks at work, or just getting on with chores, our minds are clearly elsewhere with Monday morning being the time that most people are likely to think about taking a holiday. However, it looks like those day to day demands keep us busy until at least Friday afternoon which is when we finally get round to actually booking a last minute trip.
With over 690,000 accommodations available at the tap of a button via the Booking Now app, now available on both IOS and Android, you can easily surprise your loved one with a spontaneous break whenever the moment takes you.
Why travel spontaneously?
So why do people travel on the spur of the moment? Well, three out of four (76%) people in relationships agree that a spontaneous trip would put the romance back into their lives. Although it looks like we don’t always need a reason for a quick get away with 41% of respondents stating that they would book a last minute trip away with their partner ‘just because’. Similarly, 42% wish that their partners would book trip away for no particular reason.
Spontaneous travel boosts happiness levels
With a whopping four out of five respondents (79%) agreeing that ‘spontaneous travel boosts my happiness levels’ and nearly half (46%) claiming to prefer spontaneous trips to planned trips, what stops us from making those last minute holiday plans? Well, three out of four respondents (76%) say the hardest part of booking last minute trips is finding affordable and quality accommodation. In addition, half (48%) cite expense as a barrier to spur of the moment trips.
Commenting on the results of the survey Pepijn Rijvers, Chief Marketing Officer of Booking.com said: “We know that our customers want to be able to enjoy a quick getaway without the preamble of a long laborious booking or even thought process. In fact, bookings made within 48 hours of date of intended travel are on the increase – which is why we developed the Booking Now app.
“Stand on any street anywhere in the World and the Booking Now app will automatically suggest accommodation based on your personal preferences, in your location, available there and then. It will even provide you with an A to B route map to take you quickly to the front door of your accommodation of choice.
“With the Booking Now app in hand, your next adventure, and perfect accommodation, is just two taps away. With this type of technology at your fingertips there’s simply never been a better time to enjoy a spontaneous summer of travel.”
Booking Now is available now for download on Android in the Google Play Store or on iOS via the Apple Store.
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CONTACT DETAILS
For further information, contact the Booking.com Global Press Office;
NOTES TO EDITORS
Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among 6,620 people (18+) across USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France and Australia
Research took place between June and July 2015
About Booking.com:
Booking.com is the world leader in booking hotel and other accommodations online. It guarantees the best prices for any type of property – from small independents to five-star luxury. Guests can access the Booking.com website anytime, anywhere from their desktops, mobile phones and tablet devices, and they don’t pay booking fees – ever. The Booking.com website is available in 42 languages, offers over 690,000 hotels and accommodations including more than 308,000 vacation rental properties and covers over 80,000 destinations in more than 215 countries worldwide. It features over 50 million reviews written by guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets around the globe. With over 19 years of experience and a team of over 9,300 dedicated employees in 160+ offices worldwide, Booking.com operates its own in-house customer service team, which is available 24/7 to assist guests in their native languages and ensure an exceptional customer experience.
Established in 1996, Booking.com B.V. owns and operates Booking.com™, and is part of The Priceline Group (NASDAQ: PCLN). Follow us on Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest, like us on Facebook, or learn more at http://www.booking.com.