Keep Calm and Travel On! Average Aussie’s Travel Favourites Revealed…

The stereotype of beach-loving Aussies having a profound love affair with sun, sea and salt water prevails, however a recent survey highlights the wide range of destinations that top our travel wish-lists.

A new survey, conducted by Real Insurance, explored the ultimate travel destinations for Australians and found that while exotic beaches and tropical islands remain a favourite with many travellers (28%), alternative travel experiences are also coming up trumps.

One-in-ten would prefer to visit a big city, and similarly 10 per cent would visit animals and nature sites. However, among a new generation of adventurous seniors one-quarter would rather visit historical sites and 22 per cent would prefer a relaxing cruise to a beach holiday (16%). This is in stark contrast to the overall results, where 16 and 11 per cent of all respondents would opt for visiting historical sites and cruises respectively.

One-in-five (21%) say they travel internationally each year, with 43 per cent travelling domestically. Just over one-third (36%) say they travel both overseas and within Australia.

“The number of Australian’s travelling overseas is significant, and while we love visiting beaches some more exploratory threads are coming through,” said Mark Reid, Chief Executive Officer, Real Insurance. “Big cities, being at one with nature and cruises are also popular, but interestingly ski fields only feature in the travel dreams of two per cent of Aussies!

“While Millennials are opting for the excitement of big cities, it appears that baby boomers are looking to spend their golden years fulfilling their travel dreams on cruises and visiting famous sites instead of sitting back on a beach.” 

The survey also showed that language barriers (43%) and unfamiliar public transport (38%) are the main frustrations for Australians when travelling abroad, with currency conversion also being a concern for over 30 per cent of penny pinching travellers.

In reflection of the Aussie explorer image, just one in ten of those surveyed identified adjusting to new foods and finding trendy places to visit an issue (11% and 9% respectively). However, 32 per cent found other tourists frustrating, including behaviours and the quantity of other travellers.

Other key findings include:

• Jet lag plagues 37 per cent, and is of most concern to 35-49 year olds (with 40% saying jet lag is a major frustration).

• Aussies are a friendly bunch, with only five per cent finding people making conversation throughout the trip annoying.

• Safety concerns when travelling abroad are a major frustration, cited by 34 per cent of respondents.

• Trekking is popular among 25-34 year olds, spiking at seven per cent compared with two per cent overall.

• Three per cent of Aussies prefer to travel in their own city.

For more information, please visit: www.realinsurance.com.au/travel

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About Real Insurance: Real Insurance is an award winning Australian insurer, with a goal to protect the quality of people’s lives. Real Insurance was awarded the 2014 Highly Commended Trusted Brand Award in the Life and Funeral Insurance categories, voted for by Australian consumers. The company has been in the Australian market since 2005 with product offerings in car, home, life, income, pet, funeral, travel and bike insurance. Real Insurance is a trading name of Hollard Financial Services Pty Ltd.

Research methodology: National research firm Ruby Cha Cha coordinated a total of 1,290 online interviews on behalf of Real Insurance in May 2014. The sample audience was a representative sample of the Australian population, with 18+ years and a range of sex and regions covered. Quotas were set on these variables reflecting ABS estimates and small adjustments made through final data weighting.  

Media enquiries:

Jade Barringer, ICON Communications – 02 8235 7600   jbarringer@iconinternational.com.au