If there’s one thing elections are great at doing, it’s making us think there’s some sort of divide between states that lean Democrat (Blue) or Republican (Red). We assume we know how the “other side” acts, lives and even travels. So, we wanted to find out: when it comes to travel trends, are Red and Blue states really that different? The short answer, based on what we uncovered, is “no.”
We looked within KAYAK’s 1.5 billion+ travel searches to see whether differences emerged as to how Red and Blue states planned their travel. What we found was, regardless of your political proclivities, we’re actually more alike than different. Kind of nice when you think about it, isn’t it? #kumbaya
For example, we looked to see if Red or Blue states were more likely to plan their travel last minute. There was no significant difference.
Do Red States tend to travel more as a family? Not that we can see.
Do Blue States book more first-class seats? Not really.
Any destinations that one group refuses to travel to? Nope.
So, broadly speaking, there were no big, meaningful disparities. The few differences that did emerge didn’t necessarily follow a pattern — leading us to believe that while notable, there are no sweeping generalizations about how both sides of the aisle plan their travel. This is what we did see as slightly dissimilar when looking at Red vs. Blue:
- Most Popular Destinations: We found that travel to San Francisco tends to be more popular among Blue State travelers while Red State travelers are more likely to lace up their mouse ears and head to Orlando.
- Mobile vs. Desktop: Red State searchers are more likely to search for travel on their mobile devices than Blue Staters.
- Don’t you love a bargain? Red State travelers are approximately 12% more likely to search for bargain hotels.
- Top Trending Destinations: While both Red and Blue States seem to be heading to warm, beachy locations, Red Staters are generally staying stateside while Blue Staters are treading into more international waters.
| Rank | Red States | Blue States |
| 1 | Punta Gorda, FL | Havana, Cuba |
| 2 | Kapalua, HI | Pointe-a-Pietre, Guadeloupe |
| 3 | Havana, Cuba | Fort-de-France, Martinique |
| 4 | St. Petersburg, FL | Punta Gorda, FL |
| 5 | Mesa, AZ | Kapalua, HI |
One thing’s for sure: even as the debate heats up, we’re all united in our love for travel. If you think you need a break before you get out to vote, enter our #EscapeTheDebate Sweepstakes by 10/11/2016. One lucky winner will receive $5,000 to travel as far away from the election noise as possible (just be sure you’re back in time to cast your vote).
Enter for a chance to win. See official rules for details.
