While 50% of respondents agree that spending time with family is the most important factor during the holidays, 40% have decided that they're going on vacation with their family this year instead of spending time at a family member's home or their own.
Also of note, 35% of respondents said all they really want for Christmas is to be with their immediate family, while 29% said they would prefer to be on a romantic break with their significant other.
In addition, 29% of holiday travelers do plan on trimming their travel budget in addition to the tree by cutting the trip short by a few days or sacrificing a direct flight or desired times/dates for a cheaper price with layovers and early morning departures.
Still, only 18% reported feeling too strapped financially to travel anywhere.--Gavin O'Malley
After reading these numbers, it's tough to agree with the shine being applied by Kayak on their analysis. Search volume for travel-based are significantly down. Traffic to sites like Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity are all seeing their traffic decline precipitously year-over-year. When 18% of respondent say that they cannot afford to travel, this is hugely negative number. I'd personally like to see how these numbers compare to a similar survey they may have conducted in 2007, as variances are more indicative of trends that absolute numbers.