Summer travel survey

Calls and e-mails to the Wisconsin Department of Tourism have risen 45 percent since last year. Requests for Iowa's official travel guide are soaring, say state officials, who anticipate a bumper crop of tourists this summer.

The Midwest is one of a handful of US regions expected to benefit from this year's trend in summer travel. The reason: Most families' top activity will not be touring a big city or lying on some island beach, but taking a long drive to take in the views.

More than 70 percent of travelers plan to spend at least part of their leisure time cruising along scenic roads, according to the Travel Industry Association of America (TIAA).

With the car playing a big role in Americans' travel plans, pastoral states like Iowa, within driving distance of several major cities, are prime destinations. "More than 80 percent of our travelers arrive by car or RV," says Shawna Lode, public-relations manager for the Iowa Tourism Office.

Car travel is enabling Americans to accomplish two important goals: Stay close to home, and keep budgets tight. Most Americans will hop in the car and vacation within 1,000 miles of their home this summer, spending an average of $2,000 - down from $2,250 last year and $2,375 in 2001, according to a survey by Consolidated Credit Counseling Services, a nonprofit consumer group in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Among the reasons for such moderation, say experts: uncertainty after the Iraq war, concern about the SARS outbreak, and economic sluggishness.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans do not plan to take a "significant" vacation of one week or longer away from home, according to a Christian Science Monitor/TIPP poll conducted May 5-9. Of that group, 43 percent cited the economy as the main obstacle - an 8 percent jump from last year. Only 3 percent said safety concerns affected their plans.

"Our success in Iraq, as well as the lower terror alert status at the time of the poll, contributed to a higher feeling of safety," says Raghavan Mayur, president of TIPP, a unit of TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence.

Because of low bookings during the spring, airlines and other industries linked to overseas travel are offering some of their best deals of the past three years. But will low prices be enough to offset consumers' concerns?

"People were hunkering down until something changed with the war, but they are also realizing that this could be the last summer they can get really incredible deals," says Gary Sain, a partner with Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown & Russell, a travel-marketing firm in Orlando, Fla.

Perhaps what most reveals the mind-set of American travelers this year: Rentals of recreational vehicles (RVs) have risen. RV rentals are expected to be 24 percent higher than last year, and 71 percent of RV owners plan to travel more this summer compared to last year, according to the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association.

RVs serve a clear purpose for most travelers, say RVIA president Dave Humphreys. "They are for people who never like unpleasant surprises, and this year the desire for no surprises is a high priority."

So, too, is the need for flexibility. Mr. Humphreys partly credits the RV boom to Americans' increasing tendency to delay finalizing travel plans. "RVs give you the flexibility of not having a hotel reservation or a plane reservation," says Humphreys of those who already own an RV.

Primarily because of the war with Iraq, more than 40 percent of prospective travelers had not made plans by the middle of April, according to TIAA.

"We've been lazy," says Edward Denizard, who recently saw his daughter off to France in Chicago's Midway Airport. "It's partly from a little bit of apprehension."

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