Executive Travel : Business Travel Habits

Changes in travel patterns are slowly taking place for economic, technological and sociological reasons, according to the 1993 “travel barometer” survey by Maritz Marketing Research Inc. for Budget Rent a Car. Some questions were concerned travel frequency in general while others were specific to the rental car habits. Some questions and responses from business travelers:

Travel Frequency

Which of the following best describes your overall domestic business travel over the past year compared to the previous year?

Increased significantly: 10%

Increased somewhat: 20

Stayed the same: 52

Decreased somewhat: 15

Decreased significantly: 4

Thinking about 1994, do you expect your business travel to. . .

Increase significantly: 8%

Increase somewhat: 25

Stay the same: 50

Decrease somewhat: 13

Decrease significantly: 5

What impact to you expect teleconferencing to have on travelers in the near future?

Less frequent travel plans: 45%

No impact: 44

Shorter travel plans: 6

More frequent travel plans: 2

Longer travel plans: 1

Other: 3

How have your business travel plans changed in light of the recent tourist crime wave?

No change: 85%

Avoiding specific areas: 10

Avoiding rental cars: 2

Less frequent trips: 1

Rental Car Activity

When you drive a rental care for business travel, how often do you refill the gas tank before returning the car?

Always: 62%

Most of the time: 23

Half the time: 6

Rarely: 7

Never: 3

When you share a car on business, who most often is the renter?

No set pattern: 51%

Whoever gets there first: 18

Highest-ranking person rents: 18

Whatever name in rental record: 11

Lowest-ranking person rents: 2

How does the type of car rented for business travel compare to the previous year?

Rent same size: 79%

Upgraded size: 13

Downgraded size: 4

No longer rent: 3

Note: Figures may not add up to 100% due to rounding or because “don’t know” or non-responses were not included.

Sources: Budget Rent a Car and Maritz Marketing Research, Inc.