(Radio Iowa) – More Iowans are saying “Seize the day!” and they’re booking more vacations at a much faster pace than in past years, according to a survey from Triple-A-Iowa. Spokesman Brian Ortner says the survey shows a sharp rise in vacation intent and increased multi-trip planning.

“A lot of people are saying they’re taking milestone trips now, whether it’s a wedding, a graduation, or just those things they want to do with family and friends for a milestone,” Ortner says. “That’s driving people to travel.” The global pandemic of COVID-19 forced many of us to spend months in isolation, and when it was all over, there was a huge surge in travel. Ortner says it helped coax some Iowans to shift their thinking, and put a bigger emphasis on pleasure trips.

“The reality of COVID, now six years out, showed us how short life can be,” Ortner says. “When you have these opportunities to spend with family and friends, it’s something you need to do.” The survey shows 33-percent of Iowans are planning more vacations this year than last year, and 34-percent say they’ll be taking multiple getaways in 2026.

“When you look across Iowa and our region, the number of people going on cruises and the increase that has had, to get larger groups together in a place where everything’s included, you show up, you get on board, you don’t have to worry about anything else the rest of the time,” Ortner says. “Travel’s become easier for folks.” The survey found Spring Break getaways are just as important to Iowans as vacations over Christmas and New Year’s. It showed 24-percent of Iowans say they’ll be taking off for warmer shores for Spring Break, and 24-percent also said they’d be gone for the year-end holidays.

“Kids are out of school, in addition to have that time off of work, which around Thanksgiving, yeah, there’s a Thanksgiving break, but it’s typically not as long as a Spring Break or a year-end holiday timeframe,” he says, “that would allow to be away from work and school at the same time.” Where are Iowans going this year?

The Triple-A-Iowa survey found 47-percent are taking road trips, 33-percent will head for beach destinations, and 23-percent opted both for major metro areas or state or national parks.