Americans heading out this fall are far more likely to get there behind the wheel than through an airport, according to new Hertz survey data that also flags millennials and Gen Z as the generations most willing to open their wallets for the right experience.
The rental car company’s fall travel outlook, which pairs internal booking data with a Morning Consult survey of 2,001 U.S. adults conducted August 11–13, found 46 percent of Americans plan to travel this fall. Nearly 60 percent of those travelers plan to do so as a road trip, while just 28 percent are taking a domestic flight. Millennials are almost four times more likely than baby boomers to make a rental car their primary mode of transportation, and combined rental usage among Gen Z and millennials well outpaces boomers.
For advisors, the more useful signal may be on spend. Roughly a third of travelers (31 percent) say they are hunting for budget-friendly getaways, but an identical 31 percent say they are willing to spend more on memorable experiences. Millennials lead that camp at 33 percent, with Gen Z close behind at 32 percent.
Gen Z is also bucking the stereotype of the freewheeling young traveler. More than a quarter (26 percent) prefer a fully planned itinerary, and 34 percent are booking earlier than in prior years, a combination that lines up neatly with what an advisor sells.
Big cities are the most popular destination type at 39 percent, followed by beaches (27 percent) and small towns (25 percent), with mountains, national parks, and rural escapes rounding out the list. The Southeast is the season’s top region, with 28 percent of travelers headed there for beaches, cities, warm weather, and college football. Foliage demand is building in Boston, Portland, and Hartford, with New England and the Western Mountain region posting double-digit year-over-year growth. The week of October 5 currently shows the strongest fall demand.
Closer in, Hertz expects September 4 to be the busiest vehicle pickup day ahead of Labor Day weekend, with SUVs and minivans the most popular categories. Orlando, Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Boston top Labor Day demand. Seattle cracked the top 10 this year, while Las Vegas, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Portland, Ore., and San Diego are showing the strongest growth over last Labor Day.
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