Think of the number and variety of decisions that go into a vacation. First, you have to decide in a general way that you want to spend a period of time away from your home area. That time period may run the gamut from a quick overnight escape to a full year's travel to "find yourself." You then have to consider where you might want to go, yourdestination. Will you travel to a single destination, such as Ogunquit, Maine, and stay put for a relaxing long weekend, or will you travel continuously during your vacation using a multi-destination itinerary? Will you rely on a travel professional to help in your planning, or will the "legwork" yourself? Will you make lodging reservations and buy attraction tickets in advance, or will you simply wing it? Will you stick to your original plans and choices, or will you make modifications as your trip progresses? As you read this section, look atFigure2.1to aid your understanding. For leisure travelers, this thought process occurs in four stages and is often referred to as the dreaming (first decision), researching (second and third decisions), booking (fourth decision), experiencing (fifth decision), and then finally the sharing cycle. Social media made this process even more personal for many travelers as it creates the opportunity to share experiences real-time.

Figure2.1

The travel decision-making process.

Figure 2.1 Full Alternative Text

The previous paragraph hints at the endless number of decisions leisure travelers need to make. How and when do travelers make decisions? How much information do they gather prior to selecting their choice? The depth of information search conducted and the timing of that information gathering are of substantial importance to tourism suppliers. They want to provide the information that tourists desire at the time they most desire it. Consumer research has proven that we will most notice and remember advertising messages and other forms of information when we are actively seeking information to make a certain decision. This information receptive mode is called selective attention.¹

Information Seeking

When we are in the midst of making a decision regarding a trip, we have a variety of information sources available. First, we have our own memory, including our existing base of knowledge and experiences. This form of memory reliance is called internal information search. Imagine Kurt and Sharon who are thinking about going on a weeklong family vacation. They recall the terrific time their kids had at that great Recreational Vehicle resort at Lake George in upstate New York and simply decide to make that trip again.

Frequently, we feel the need to gather additional information; this is termedexternal information search. These external sources are grouped into two types, personal sources and nonpersonal sources. Personal sources are individuals who provide us with information. A friend who recommends a rafting company that offers Colorado River trips through the Grand Canyon would be an example of a noncommercial personal source. Your trusted travel agent who helps you decide which cruise best fits the true you is an example of a commercial personal source. And, finally, the front desk clerk who suggests a fun nightspot where locals party is also a personal source of information.

Nonpersonal sources of information are all other forms of information available to you, from travel magazine ads to resort brochures to billboards along your trip route. Tourism suppliers can control to a large extent the information in nonpersonal sources, such as websites and pop-up ads. Messaging that is controlled by the supplier is calledinduced information. Travelers may also gather information from organic sources that are not controlled by the tourism supplier.²Examples of organic sources include travel guides, blogs, and travel review sites such astripadvisor.com. However, one form of tourism information often consulted by long-trip-duration travelers are published travel guidebooks, which frequently include opinions and impressions from the authors/editors. Travel guides such as Frommer's and Lonely Planet are viewed as neutral sources of information because the author is usually not being compensated to make the recommendations included in the guide. Many travelers are also turning to blogs and review sites, which may or may not contain reliable and unbiased information. While many organic sites began with the intent to provide neutral information from user-generated content, consider the fact that there are also opportunities to post induced information on organic sources that can mislead travelers.

Although business and professional travelers will have a set plan and reservations for almost all components of their trips, leisure travelers have a full range of planning options. As suggested earlier, after deciding to travel, the next decision a traveler faces is where to go. And with the endless possibilities out there, that is often not a simple choice. Leisure travelers often spend hour upon hour gathering information about various destinations to find the one that most tickles their fancy. The conclusion to the destination decision may be very specific?"I'm going to Disney World!"?or it may be very general, such as Southeast Asia.

After the decision of "where" is made, travelers will differ on how much information they collect before making other decisions. A portion of vacationers will turnmost of the information gathering and decision making over to others, by using a travel agent and purchasing a tour package. Package tours allow the traveler to trust the judgment of a tour wholesaler to piece together the necessary services so that decision making by the traveler is minimal.³This is usually the case for travelers with limited experience in consuming travel products.

However, most experienced travelers are independent travelers, those who do not leave the planning to someone else. Specifically, independent travelers do not book all-inclusive packages that include transportation, accommodations, and activities at the destination. These travelers have many decisions to make, both before (pre-trip planning) and during their trip. Independent travelers tend to have more flexibility in their itineraries, in terms of where they go, how long they spend at any one place, where they stay, and at each locale. Travel planning by independent travelers can be thought of as a continuum. Travelers may make virtually all decisions prior to departure regarding route, duration of stays, where to stay, and what they will do each day. On the other extreme of the continuum are the travelers who do virtually no pre-trip planning and allow their trip to evolve spontaneously.⁴For example, in studies of visitors to New Zealand (NZ), Tourism New Zealand researchers have found that more than 40% absolutely no preplanning before their arrival on NZ shores.

By now, you realize that travel decision making involves a series of choices concerning many facets of a trip. "Compared to most other examples of consumer decision making, vacation decision making is a particularly complex and multifaceted matter, involving a series of decisions on multiple elements of the vacation itinerary."⁵(p. 20) What factors make pre-trip planning more likely or less likely? Research conducted in a variety of countries indicates that certain characteristics of a trip lead to greater information search by leisure travel consumers. These characteristics are lack of experience with the destination, longer duration of trip, farther away from home (especially international), commercial accommodations (rather than staying with friends or relatives), larger group size, and multiple destinations.

Describe your companion based on market segmentation?geography, demographics, psychographics, and product-related variables (see pages 47-51 in your textbook). Why might these traveler demographics be important? How can this information be used to target and meet their wants, needs, and expectations?

1. Using Figure 2-1, the travel decision-making process, (image attached), take some time with your self-identified travel companion, and walk through the decision-making process. 2. How did the process work? 3. What were the challenges and benefits of the process? 4. Identify the travel motivations addressed 5. What were the results of your decision?

First Decision Set: The Decision to Take a Trip. [Decisions to male prior to "trip commitment") Do I have the time, money, health, and interest to tale a trip? How much time, money, and ellort do I want to devote to this potential trip? Who will go with me and theretore need to be consulted in at least some oi my decisions? Do I want to gather the information mysell' or do i want to utilize the expertise ol others, such as a travel agent or tour operator? Second Decision: The Destination Decision [general] In general, where do Ifwe want to go? In general, what do I/we want to do on the trip? Given myX our time trame, what destinations are within the allowed travel time? Third Decision: The Destination Commitment Decision. (This decision involves a choice that is not easin changed} Which at the destinations that are most appealing to me/us will I f we choose? Fourth Decision: Trip Preparation Decisions. {Past-Trip Commitment Decisions} What specic day will I/we leave for the trip? How long will l/we stay in one place? Will Ifwe travel within a larger destination area [multi-deslinations], or will IXwe stay in one place lor the duration of the trip? What transportation mode will I/ we use to get to the destination area? What components at the trip will I/ we pay tor or reserve in advance? Should lfwe buy travel insuranoe in case of unforeseen circumstances necessitating canceling the trip or in case of disaster on the trip? Filth Dedsion Set: During-Trip Decisions. How will lfwe get around the destination area? What routes will lfwe take within the area? It not arranged in advance of arrival, what specic accommodations will lfwe use each night? Where will i/we eat? What activities and attractions will If we participate in or attend