AAA Says More Parents Traveling Abroad with Kids

The top international destinations for families are the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe.

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. October 14, 2008

JULY 17, 2006. The cry, "Are we there yet?" can be heard now in the airplanes and airports around the world as more families begin vacationing overseas with their children. In a June survey of 424 AAA travel professionals, 42 percent say they are booking more international trips for parents with children under 18. The top international destinations for families are the Caribbean, Mexico and Europe.

The increasing number of families going overseas supports another trend noted previously by AAA: an overall increase in Americans traveling overseas. In May, AAA reported an 18 percent increase in international bookings and a 25 percent increase in travel bookings to Europe. In addition, AAA Publishing is seeing increased interest in books related to European travel. AAA's Europe TravelBook(TM) is one of its most popular selling travel guides and eight out of the top 10 selling AAA Spiral Guides are about travel to or within Europe.

International solo travel also is on the increase. Nineteen percent of AAA travel agents report an upswing in single travelers going overseas, and 58% say Europe is the most popular destination, followed by the Caribbean (21%) and Mexico (19%).

Why do Americans travel overseas? According to AAA travel professionals who are meeting one-on-one with vacationers every day, 80 percent of travelers are influenced by referrals from friends and family. Sixty-two percent say vacationers are influenced by a book, magazine, movie or television show and 50 percent are influenced by an ad they saw in print or on television.

NOTE: Combined percentages exceed 100% because respondents were allowed to choose more than one answer.

Travelers can find international destination information online using the TourBook(R) guide on AAA.com. This travel planning tool provides destination content (including top spots to eat, shop and see the sights) for 23 countries and 41 international cities.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides more than 49 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, AAA, a not-for-profit corporation and the oldest and largest federation of motor clubs in the country, has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers.