Aussies are too busy planning to be spontaneous

As the sunburnt Aussie facade fades under a mountain of sunscreen, another myth about the Aussie psyche has just been exposed. Apparently, Australian travelers believe they are spontaneous when it comes to traveling, but, in reality, they are planners who thoroughly research all the ins and outs before making a decision.

This shocking revelation did not come from highly paid business consultants, academics or salaried investigative journalists, but from global travel search site Skyscanner.

Today, Skyscanner released its research into how Australians travel which found that 54% have never booked a last minute holiday, despite 70% claiming to be spontaneous travellers.

Why is this important?

This is a really tough subject because when and how far people travel is key information for airlines and other travel providers to schedule and price their services. One of the post-Covid trends is that people tend to book flights closer to the departure date before the outbreak, which leads to a narrative of high prices and no cheap flights.

So, maybe they’re selfishly draining people from bad memories of some long-term lockdowns when it comes to travel bookings.

Going back to Skyscanner’s survey of 1,000 respondents, 49% said they want to be spontaneous when it comes to travel. The data shows otherwise, with 35% still planning 90 days or more ahead of their trip, although last-minute bookings accounted for more than 25% in March, according to Skyscanner data. For those who like realism, a last minute booking is defined as one within 7-29 days of departure.

If Australia isn’t throwing darts at a map to pick their next vacation, what are they doing with their 90+ day plans? According to Skyscanner, 47% are setting price alerts on travel sites to find the best deals and 95% are swapping bags for the best combination of dates and destinations.

This seems to indicate that they are more concerned about how much the trip will cost than their own sudden nerve-racking, but given the high cost of living here, this is quite understandable.

Some tips from the experts

Skyscanner’s Australian travel expert, Jarrod Chris, debunks many myths:

“Planning ahead allows travelers to be more spontaneous in the moment because they have the peace of mind that comes with knowing that logistics are taken care of. For all travel research Aussie suggests is important, Skyscanner has them covered.”

Photo: Jetstar

Chris outlines three ways Aussies and everyone else can bag the bargains they want on their next vacation.

1. Be flexible. Searching by multiple dates will give you the best chance of getting a deal just because some dates are more popular, which will increase the price. Use the whole month tool to quickly identify where the lowest fares are and fly on the most popular days of the week.
2. Mix and match: Mixing things up, such as flying with a different airline each way, or leaving one airport and returning to another, can significantly reduce costs. Find the combination that produces the best results.
3. Consider everywhere: To add some spontaneity, he suggests searching everywhere on Skyscanner, which he says is one of the most sought-after destinations for Aussies on the site. Sorting your search by price can throw up places you never thought possible, and what could be more unexpected than that?

How do you go about organizing your holiday flights? Let us know in the comments.