New research* from global trip discovery and planning platform Rome2Rio found that 70% of American travelers researched an unplanned side trip in the past year – rising to 80% among Gen Z. And 88% of those who considered one ultimately took a side trip (a trip departing from their main destination).
Key findings include:
The rise of side trips & Gen Z leading the shift
o Social media influenced 36% of travelers and 44% of Gen Z to take a side trip
o Other influences included recommendations from friends or family (35%), positive online reviews (34%), and discovering a destination was easy to get to (32%)
o Nearly one-third of travelers were motivated by the opportunity for a more local, authentic experience (32%)
Clear transportation information helps travelers follow through
83% said transportation and route information is very or extremely important when deciding whether to take a side trip
48% want to easily see all the ways to reach a destination
Affordability (65%) and proximity to where travelers are already staying (57%) are the leading factors when deciding to take a side trip
2-3-hour radius is the sweet spot for side trips
51% are willing to travel up to two hours one way for a side trip, increasing to 72% within three hours
Beaches and islands are the most sought-after side trips at 43%, followed by national parks (29%); a cultural attraction, landmark, or museum (29%); and festival, concert or event (27%)
22% of respondents already used Rome2Rio to plan a side trip, rising to 32% among Gen Z and 28% among Millennials
This behavior is also showing up in Rome2Rio’s first-party search data. Between Q1 and Q2 2026 **, searches surged for smaller destinations near established travel hubs, including Sottomarina, (+344%), Torri del Benaco (+290%), Domaso (+289%) in Italy and Wildwood, New Jersey (+224%). The transportation routes connecting travelers to smaller destinations grew even faster: Boston-to-Salem ferry searches increased by 2,004%, while searches for the Split-to-Krka National Park train route in Croatia rose more than 10,000% quarter-over-quarter.
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