NEEDHAM, Mass., Nov. 15, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TripAdvisor®, the travel planning and booking site, today announced its TripIndex Experiences of a Lifetime, revealing the travel costs associated with 10 of the world’s most iconic travel experiences. Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia is the least expensive option for U.S. travelers at $2,971 for a one-week trip for two, and TripAdvisor has revealed great value hotels and tours to book where travelers can save as much as 83 percent compared to average prices in these amazing destinations.
The TripIndex Experiences of a Lifetime, conducted in partnership with independent research firm Kantar TNS, outlines the cost per day for two people to take a trip to experience ten of the world’s most popular once in a lifetime experiences, taking into account the cost of a round-trip flight, airport taxi, a stay in a four-star hotel, dinner and a day tour of the experience of a lifetime.
“U.S. travelers considering booking one of these iconic travel experiences can expect to pay about $5000 for a week-long trip for two on average, according to TripAdvisor data and research,” said Brooke Ferencsik, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. “Those on a tighter budget but seeking a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience can book a destination like Angkor Wat or the Grand Canyon at about $3000 for a week-long trip for two.”
About Angkor Wat:
Meaning “City of Temples,” Angkor Wat was built in the 12th century and is the largest religious monument in the world, covering approximately 400 acres. The site is visited by millions of travelers every year and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. According to a TripAdvisor reviewer, it’s an “astounding feat... amazing for its endless treasures, beautiful stone carvings that go on and on in endlessly varied and individualized forms. Any artist or even an experienced world traveler will be impressed and inspired.”
Summary of Key Findings:
- With great value on accommodations and meals, Angkor Wat represents the best value for U.S. travelers at $2971 for a one-week trip for two.
- The Grand Canyon is another experience of a lifetime value for U.S. travelers, at $3003 for a week-long trip for two.
- Santorini is the most expensive trip, with flights at $2500 per person round-trip and travel totaling $9364 for two.
TripIndex Experiences of a Lifetime: Average Cost of a Trip for Two Travelers
Rankings from the least expensive to the most expensive (bold indicates least expensive destinations for each item respectively.)
| Experience of a Lifetime | City | Round-trip Flight (per person) | Hotel | Round-trip Taxi | Dinner (per person) | Tour (per person) | Total (per person) | Total for 2 for one week | |||||||||||||||
| 1 | Visit Angkor Wat | Siem Reap | $ | 933 | $ | 79 | $ | 14 | $ | 14 | $ | 171 | $ | 1211 | $ | 2971 | |||||||
| 2 | Visit the Grand Canyon | Phoenix | $ | 212 | $ | 215 | $ | 34 | $ | 40 | $ | 240 | $ | 741 | $ | 3003 | |||||||
| 3 | Walk the Great Wall of China | Beijing | $ | 1020 | $ | 102 | $ | 36 | $ | 35 | $ | 355 | $ | 1548 | $ | 3990 | |||||||
| 4 | Marvel at the wonder of the Taj Mahal | Agra | $ | 1235 | $ | 79 | $ | 135 | $ | 16 | $ | 474 | $ | 1939 | $ | 4330 | |||||||
| 5 | Go on safari in South Africa | Nelspruit | $ | 1576 | $ | 77 | $ | 129 | $ | 15 | $ | 151 | $ | 1948 | $ | 4332 | |||||||
| 6 | Visit the Galapagos Islands | Santa Cruz | $ | 1075 | $ | 220 | $ | 32 | $ | 37 | $ | 188 | $ | 1552 | $ | 4616 | |||||||
| 7 | Dive the Great Barrier Reef | Cairns | $ | 1634 | $ | 126 | $ | 38 | $ | 47 | $ | 376 | $ | 2221 | $ | 5598 | |||||||
| 8 | See the Northern Lights | Reykjavik | $ | 1093 | $ | 284 | $ | 271 | $ | 74 | $ | 198 | $ | 1920 | $ | 5877 | |||||||
| 9 | Trek the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu | Cusco | $ | 1066 | $ | 237 | $ | 21 | $ | 28 | $ | 899 | $ | 2251 | $ | 5890 | |||||||
| 10 | Admire the sunset over Santorini | Oia | $ | 2500 | $ | 482 | $ | 124 | $ | 39 | $ | 151 | $ | 3296 | $ | 9364 | |||||||
Great hotels and attractions to book for an experience of a lifetime trip
Planning on booking an experience of a lifetime trip? These highly rated hotels and tours on TripAdvisor are bookable for up to 83% less than the average TripIndex Experiences of a Lifetime price.
Notes to editors:
Methodology
The TripIndex Experiences of a Lifetime list is comprised of 10 of the most popular experiences of a lifetime. Most popular experiences of a lifetime were determined based on internal editorial research.
TripIndex Experiences of a Lifetime prices out the cost for the following items in each destination, multiplied by two (where applicable) to represent the daily cost inclusive of return flights and airport taxi for two people.
- Return flight: Round trip flight from main airport(s) serving destination, for travel between 9/1/16 – 1/31/17
- Airport taxi: Return taxi between destination airport and city center
- Dinner: Starter, main meal and bottle of local beer
- Hotel: Accommodation in a 4-4.5-star hotel
- Tour: Average cost of bookable day tours for each experience of a lifetime
Research was conducted by Kantar TNS in collaboration with TripAdvisor and prices were collected through telephone and web search as well as from TripAdvisor hotel, tour and fight price data. Prices in each market (except for hotel) were taken in local currencies between August 2016 and October 2016. Prices in each market for hotel were taken in USD. Currency conversion rates were taken from Oanda.com on October 4, 2016.
Return flights: Prices specify the average cost of a return flight from the main origin destination airport(s) to each experience of a lifetime destination. Pricing displayed is for travel dates between September 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 based on searches made between August 1, 2016 to October 20, 2016. Weighted average prices were determined using impressions for each itinerary and fare quoted by the respective provider. Origin airports and destination airports list available upon request.
Airport taxi: Prices specify the average cost of a return taxi journey between destination airport and a city center location in each destination city. This includes other transport modes if required (e.g. Santa Cruz ferry + taxi for Galapagos Islands). Source: local website (e.g. taxi company, airport, tourist information).
Dinner: Prices specify the average cost for one person of a starter course/entree, main meal, plus beer at a 4-5-'bubble' rated restaurant on TripAdvisor. Source: Restaurants were randomly selected from TripAdvisor, filtered by 4-5 bubble rating. Prices were obtained from menus on restaurant websites by Kantar TNS. Prices were collected from a minimum of 5 restaurants per destination. Data collected August to September 2016.
Dinner meal items include:
- Starter course/entree: Prices recorded for two typical local dishes per restaurant (actual dishes vary by destination).
- Main course: Prices recorded for two typical local dishes per restaurant (actual dishes vary by destination).
- Beer: Price recorded for one typical beer brand in each destination (price of bottled water used instead of beer for Agra, as beer prices not widely listed).
Hotel: Room rates specify the average cost of one night’s stay in 4 and 4.5 star hotels in each destination. Pricing displayed is for travel dates between September 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017 based on searches made between August 1, 2016 to October 20, 2016, aggregated from booking partners, including online travel agencies and direct hotel suppliers.
Tour: Prices specify the average cost for one person of a day tour of each of the experiences of a lifetime. Relevant tours were filtered to bookable tours from Viator. Only tours categorized as a “Day Trip,” “Full-day tour,” “Half-day tour” and “Private Day Trip” were included. Tours were selected if they were listed within the destination “locationid” and included a mention of the experience of a lifetime in their product text. E.g., Tours in the Reykjavik locationid with the mention of “Northern Lights” in their product text were selected for the “See the Northern Lights” experience of a lifetime.
About TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor® is the world's largest travel site*, enabling travelers to unleash the full potential of every trip. TripAdvisor offers advice from millions of travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to booking tools that check hundreds of websites to find the best hotel prices. TripAdvisor branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, reaching 350 million average monthly unique visitors**, and reached 385 million reviews and opinions covering 6.6 million accommodations, restaurants and attractions. The sites operate in 48 markets worldwide. TripAdvisor: Know better. Book better. Go better.
TripAdvisor, Inc. (NASDAQ:TRIP), through its subsidiaries, manages and operates websites under 23 other travel media brands:
www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.thefork.com (including www.lafourchette.com, www.eltenedor.com, www.iens.nl, www.besttables.com and www.dimmi.com.au), www.gateguru.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.housetrip.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.jetsetter.com, www.niumba.com, www.onetime.com, www.oyster.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.tingo.com, www.travelpod.com, www.tripbod.com, www.vacationhomerentals.com, www.viator.com, and www.virtualtourist.com.
*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, worldwide, May 2016
**Source: TripAdvisor log files, Q2 2016