Americans are the Least Adventurous Nationality When Vacationing

New Englanders are twice as likely (10.6%) than the national average to try deep fried tarantulas.
New Englanders are twice as likely (10.6%) than the national average to try deep fried tarantulas.

Intrepid Travel (one of the world’s leading small group adventure tour operators) commissioned a recent study full of interesting findings regarding the adventurousness of travelers of different nationalities. In fact, it found that out of four different nationalities, Americans are the least adventurous on vacation.

But within those nervous-nellies, Californians tend to be game for the most adventure when compared to the rest of the US, and New Englanders are twice as likely (10.6%) than the national average to try deep fried tarantulas.

The recent survey, conducted by UK-based Opinion Matters polled 1,000 travelers the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom for a base of 5,000 respondents.

To gauge the ‘intrepidness’ of travelers, respondents were asked to reveal how likely they were to try a variety of holiday experiences including eating deep fried tarantula, sleeping in a hilltop village hut, going on a safari, haggling at local markets and exploring ancient ruins.

According to the responses:

  • The US is the least adventurous, while the Kiwis come in first
  • In the US, Californians were the most adventurous overall
  • People from Washington DC were least likely to want to sleep under the stars in a desert camp (26.5%) and San Diegans were the most likely (68.4%)
  • Texans are a varied bunch. Dallas respondents were most likely to want to stay with a local family in a village (44.2%), while Austin respondents were least likely (17.6%)
  • New Englanders are most likely to haggle at local markets (60.5%) compared to the genteel Southerners (37.9%)
  • New Englanders are also twice as likely (10.6%) than the national average to try deep fried tarantulas.

“This data helps us get a sense of travelers’ perceptions across the globe and here in the US, so that we can develop product that is relevant while challenging their sense of adventure and inviting them to possibly move a little bit outside their comfort zone,” said Matt Berna, Intrepid Travel’s US General Manager.

But while US citizens may currently be lagging behind when it comes to adventure on vacation, strangely enough out of all other markets in the past year, Intrepid Travel’s US sales are strongest.

Full results are available upon request.  And for more information on Intrepid Travel, click here.

To read more adventurous article visit GoNOMAD’s Outdoor Adventure page.

To learn more about Intrepid Travel contact Kim Greiner at kim@kimgreiner.com