We’ve all seen the VRBO commercials where a family books a vacation rental in a free-standing home where they are playing, cooking, and eating together. And doing all the other things that families do when they take time off. The video shows the family having fun without having to worry about others around, hotel room rules, or any of the other stresses that can come with travel. These commercials hit the mark because they touch on the absolute core reason that most Americans seek leisure experiences.  They want to escape life to a place where everything stressing out their lives won’t be weighing as much on their mind.  And they want to be comfortable while doing so, to return home relaxed, refreshed, rejuvenated, and re-generated, and ready again to tackle life. Americans travel to places they have not been to before, to experience new activities, and learn new stories that serve as distractions that enable them to engage their minds in new things, truly disconnect and give their minds as well as their bodies a rest for some period of time.

Leisure travel is all about life punctuated with these unanticipated “made to order moments” that are very special when they do occur.  To be delighted, to relax without a schedule, plus, being able to spend quality time with friends and family. Americans travel to enjoy themselves, somewhere other than at home.