Data

[katiek3]

Does anyone know where I could find data about who's most likely to take a roadtrip? Some demographics would be helpful - eg, how many people make semi-lengthy trips with kids, etc.
I checked the department of transportation, but couldn't find any data collected in the past decade.

[Midwest Michael]

I'm not sure I know of any study of this type.

Perhaps someone like Triple-A or another major travel company has sponsored a study, but I don't know of one off hand.

Of course the very definition of roadtrip can mean many different things to different people, so it would be tough to narrow it down to an exact science.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Does anyone know where I could find data about who's most likely to take a roadtrip?

The technical word for this type of research is psychographic profiling and I have been receiving several queries from graduate students seeking this information. Are you in such a program too?

Mark

[RoadTripper Brad]

I don't know of any studies done, or any attempts at studies done... but I can tell you that Roadtripping is something that spans all walks of life.

I'm not even sure how an accurate study of this can be done, as it is centered around an action that can be taken on a whim with no traceable records. Unlike determining how many males between 17 and 25 buy certain video games, etc., roadtripping is going to be far more difficult to calculate. In fact, I would venture to say that 85% or more of Americans with valid drivers licenses have taken a trip they would categorize as a "roadtrip", and probably 99% have taken trips that span multiple counties and could be a de facto roadtrip.

Ouch... all this thinking of even how to come up with the numbers is making my brain hurt.

Night.

-Brad

[katiek3]

No, I'm actually just a curious undergrad student passing away time during the summer. Roadtrips are one of my family's passions so I thought it would be interesting to see if roadtrips are generally more appealing to singles, young couples, families, etc. I see what you mean though about the varying definitions of "roadtrip" posing a challenge to collecting this kind of data. Thanks for your help.

[RoadTripper Brad]

Some people consider a road trip anything outside of daily commuting, such as venturing into the big city for a concert.

Others define a road trip based on geographic divisions, such as leaving the county or state.

And, even still, others define a road trip based on the reason for driving... with a trip to Disneyland being a road trip but a trip to see the in-laws as not.

My personal definition of a road-trip is anything that goes outside of routine trips, or in my localities case, anything outside of the Phoenix Metro area.

So for me, taking a drive down to Tucson to see a concert is a road trip, but for many others, it's not.

That's what mark meant by varying definitions pose a problem.

-Brad