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Americans are the least adventurous on vacation compared to four other nationalities, Californians tend to be game for the most adventure compared to the rest of the US, and 64.9% of Americans think they should contribute to local economies when traveling, according to a new survey commissioned by Intrepid Travel (www.intrepidtravel.com), one of the world’s leading adventure travel companies.
The recent survey conducted by UK-based Opinion Matters set out to gauge which nationality is the most adventurous on vacation and has ranked Americans as the least adventurous when compared to four other nationalities.
The survey polled 1,000 travelers in each of the following countries US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom for a base of 5,000 respondents. In order to gauge the ‘intrepidness’ of travellers, respondents were asked to reveal how likely they were to try a variety of holiday experiences including eating deep fried tarantula, sleeping in a hilltop village hut, going on a safari and exploring ancient ruins.
According to the responses:
• The US is the least adventurous, while the Kiwis come in first
• In the US, Californians were the most adventurous overall
• New Englanders were twice as likely (10.6%) than the national average to try deep fried tarantulas
• Texans are a varied bunch: Dallas respondents were most likely to want to stay with a local family in a village (44.2%), while Austin respondents were least likely (17.6%)
• New Englanders are most likely to haggle at local markets (60.5%) compared to the genteel Southerners (37.9%)
“This data helps us get a sense of travelers’ perceptions across the globe, so that we can develop product that is relevant while still being exciting,” said Matt Berna, Intrepid Travel’s US General Manager.
But Americans shouldn’t be counted out just yet. While we may currently be lagging behind when it comes to adventure on vacation, it’s interesting to note that Intrepid Travel’s US sales have been the strongest compared to all other markets in the past year. The top selling Intrepid trips for US travelers in 2010 have been in Egypt, Peru, India, Bhutan and Sri Lanka – destinations definitely not lacking in adventurous activities.
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Intrepid Travel Adventure Survey - US Results
Please have a look at the following holiday experiences. For each please tell us how likely you would be to try them on a holiday?
Eat a deep fried tarantula
City % would try
San Antonio 12.50
New York City 11.50
Austin 11.10
Dallas 7
Los Angeles 6.50
Chicago 6.50
Houston 5.90
San Francisco 5.50
Memphis 2.80
Jacksonville 2.10
Charlotte 2
San Diego 0
Washington DC 0
Boston 0
Eat raw fish (sashimi)
City % would try
San Diego 52.6
Austin 44.4
Dallas 41.9
NY 33.7
LA 32.5
SF 30.1
Jacksonville 28.7
Chicago 25.9
Washington 23.5
Houston 23.5
Indianapolis 20
Boston 18.6
San Antonio 12.5
Charlotte 11.8
Memphis 11.1
Roast a marshmallow over hot lava
City % would try
Boston 44.2
Washington 44.1
San Diego 42.1
New York City 40.4
Chicago 38.8
Dallas 37.2
Memphis 36.1
Houston 35.3
Jacksonville 35.1
Los Angeles 35.1
Austin 33.3
San Francisco 31.5
Charlotte 23.5
San Antonio 18.8
Sleep in a hilltop village
City % would try
San Diego 63.2
Dallas 51.2
Memphis 38.9
San Antonio 37.5
Washington 35.3
Los Angeles 35.1
Boston 34.9
San Francisco 34.2
New York City 33.7
Austin 33.3
Chicago 30.9
Jacksonville 28.7
Charlotte 23.5
Houston 11.8
Stay with a local family
City % would try
Dallas 44.2
New York City 43.3
San Francisco 42.5
San Diego 42.1
Boston 41.9
Memphis 38.9
San Antonio 37.5
Los Angeles 36.4
Jacksonville 34
Washington 32.4
Chicago 30.2
Charlotte 23.5
Austin 22.2
Houston 17.6
Sleep in a desert camp
City % would try
San Diego 68.40
Austin 55.60
Dallas 53.50
Los Angeles 51.90
Memphis 50
Boston 48.80
San Francisco 47.90
Chicago 43.90
Houston 41.20
New York City 33.70
Jacksonville 33.00
San Antonio 31.30
Charlotte 29.40
Washington DC 26.50
Travel by camel
City % would try
Austin 55.60
Dallas 41.90
Los Angeles 37.70
Boston 37.20
Charlotte 31.40
San Antonio 31.30
Chicago 30.90
Jacksonville 30.90
New York City 30.80
Memphis 27.80
San Francisco 24.70
Philadelphia 24.60
Washington 23.50
Houston 17.60
Go on safari
City % would try
San Diego 63.20
Dallas 58.10
Austin 55.60
Boston 48.80
Los Angeles 44.20
Washington 41.20
New York City 40.40
Chicago 39.60
Jacksonville 39.40
Memphis 36.10
Charlotte 35.30
San Francisco 26
San Antonio 25
Houston 23.50
Haggle at a local market
City % would try
San Diego 68.40
Boston 60.50
Dallas 55.80
Austin 55.60
San Francisco 54.80
Los Angeles 53.20
Jacksonville 52.10
Chicago 51.10
Washington 50
New York City 47.10
Houston 41.20
Charlotte 39.20
Memphis 36.10
San Antonio 25
Explore ancient ruins
City % would try
San Diego 84.20
Boston 79.10
Jacksonville 77.70
Dallas 72.10
Houston 70.60
San Antonio 68.80
Washington 67.60
Columbus 67.30
Austin 66.70
New York City 66.30
Los Angeles 66.20
Chicago 66.20
San Francisco 65.80
Memphis 63.90
Charlotte 54.90
Intrepid Travel Adventure Survey - Nationality Results
Please have a look at the following holiday experiences. For each please tell us how likely you would be to try them on a holiday?
Eat a deep fried tarantula
Country % would try
Canada 4.70
NZ 4.70
Australia 4.60
US 4.40
UK 1.70
Eat raw fish (sashimi)
Country % would try
NZ 17.60
UK 13
Canada 11.60
Australia 11.50
US 9.50
Roast a marshmallow over hot lava
Country % would try
Canada 41
NZ 40.20
UK 38.30
Australia 34.30
US 34
Sleep in a hilltop village
Country % would try
NZ 39.40
Canada 37.40
Australia 33.60
UK 32.20
US 29.60
Stay with a local family
Country % would try
NZ 26.30
Canada 25
Australia 21.80
US 21.30
UK 13.50
Sleep in a desert camp
Country % would try
NZ 36.80
Canada 35.20
Australia 31.10
US 28.60
UK 27.50
Travel by camel
Country % would try
NZ 42.40
Canada 37.50
Australia 30.60
UK 27.30
US 24
Go on safari
Country % would try
NZ 51.70
Canada 46.90
Australia 40.20
UK 37.40
US 36.50
Haggle at a local market
Country % would try
NZ 31.30
Canada 30.10
US 28.80
Australia 28.10
UK 17.80
Explore ancient ruins
Country % would try
NZ 54.30
Canada 51.70
UK 48.20
Australia 47.50
US 33.80
About Intrepid Travel
Intrepid Travel is one of the world's leading small group adventure tour operators. It offers authentic and fun experiences that give travellers the chance to get under the skin of the places they visit, with more than 1,000 itineraries to more than 100 countries worldwide. Intrepid Travel trips are designed to go off the beaten track, meet the locals and travel in an unconventional way, joining locals on their transport, in their markets and even in their homes.
For more information
For more information please visit www.intrepidtravel.com
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