Amsterdam,
15
March
2017
|
12:00
Europe/Amsterdam

New Data Reveals that First-Time Travel Experiences can be the Secret to Success in Life

Want to know the secret to being interesting, self-assured and decisive? Travel! New research has revealed that first-time travel experiences boost confidence, broaden our horizons and ultimately lead to further success in life.

The global research, which was commissioned by Booking.com and surveyed over 15,000 people from 20 countries, including 500 Kiwis, proves the inspirational effect of experiencing something outside our comfort zone.

Whether the experience consists of travelling abroad, embracing a new destination, or travelling solo, almost two thirds (65%) of respondents said that pushing themselves to take part in a new travel experience vastly increased their confidence.

This new-found confidence in turn acts as a motivator for people to make more dramatic life decisions. One in 10 state a first-time travel experience led them to switch jobs or career and even change their relationship, and a fifth (21%) decided to relocate.

“The adrenalin and confidence boost that travelling somewhere for the first time gives us makes it irresistible. Our first-time travel experiences open our minds, sparks our imagination and inspires us to continue trying something new or change direction in life. Once you catch the travel bug it’s simply contagious,” says Luke Ashall, New Zealand Area Manager at Booking.com.

Additionally, well-travelled people tend to be perceived as more interesting. Over half (61%) of those surveyed believed people who had experienced a variety of travel experiences to be more compelling as well as more successful in their careers.

Known for their love of adventure, it’s no surprise that Kiwis are fans of new travel experiences, with 67% claiming the first-time visiting a location is always the most exciting. Even when visiting somewhere they have already been, 73% of New Zealanders will seek to discover new things about the location in an attempt to recreate the buzz of the first-time.

But where are intrepid Kiwi travellers going for their first trip? The research reveals it’s the sandy beaches across the ditch, busy metropolises of the USA, culture of London and exotic lands of Singapore, Fiji and the Philippines that most attract New Zealanders to stray to foreign shores for the first time.

The top 6 most popular first-time international destinations for New Zealand’s travellers are:

  1. Australia
  2. UK
  3. Philippines
  4. USA
  5. Fiji
  6. Singapore

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CONTACT DETAILS

For further information, contact the Booking.com New Zealand Press Office;

charlottec@thisismango.co.nz / 021 027 01136

NOTES TO EDITORS

Research commissioned by Booking.com and independently conducted among a nationally representative sample of 1,000 respondents from the USA, Brazil, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Russia, Germany, China, India, and 500 respondents from the Netherlands, Croatia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, Denmark, Belgium, and Sweden. In total, data from 15,077 respondents (18yrs +) was collected from 11 January to 30 January 2017.

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 over 40 languages, offers over 1.1M hotels and accommodations including 591,686 vacation rental properties and covers over 106,000 destinations in 225 countries and territories worldwide. It features over 114M reviews written by guests after their stay, and attracts online visitors from both leisure and business markets around the globe. With over 20 years of experience and a team of over 13,000 dedicated employees in 187 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.