Travel Trends: How do men and women travel differently?

We all know that men and women are different — different bodies, different brains, different planets of origin — but how different are they when it comes to travel?

Both men and women average the same number of domestic trips per year (3), spend about as much money per foreign trip ($2,479 for men, $2,357 for women), and spend about the same on luggage in a year ($111 for men, $107 for women). They’re also equally likely to be asked for travel advice, and they’re equally likely to qualify as Four-Percenters.*

But, anyone who’s ever argued with a travel companion of the opposite sex knows that sometimes you just have different priorities — sightseeing versus sunbathing, planned versus spontaneous, cultural enrichment versus thrill-seeking, guided tour versus package. Do you side with the majority within your sex? Have you ever had a conflict with an opposite-sex travel partner because of travel styles? Can we really chalk it all up to hormones?

Take a look at the data and tell us what you think.

*Four-Percenters are defined as individuals who took 3+ foreign trips in the past 3 years AND 3+ domestic trips in the past 12 months. They represent 3.4% of the US population.

[Data source: 2009 Survey of the American Consumer]

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