Deja Vu All Over Again? Cheapflights.com Survey Finds U.S. Travelers Are Stuck in a Rut

When Americans finally clear their desks and take that much-needed vacation, a study from Cheapflights.com, the online leader in finding and publishing travel deals, finds they aren't getting that much of a break. Cheapflights.com found that nearly 85 percent of the 1,051 Americans surveyed are likely to return to a destination they've already visited when vacation time rolls around.

"Reports abound underscoring the fact that workers in the U.S. (aka the 'no-vacation nation') receive fewer paid vacation days than people in other countries and, alarmingly, Americans don't take all the vacation time they're allotted," said Melisse Hinkle, site editor for Cheapflights.com. "Now, we're seeing that, when folks take time off, they are extremely prone to revisiting favorite spots rather than choosing to experience new places."

Our survey digs into the vacation habits of Americans -- with some interesting findings on where and why they go as well as ideal destinations. What will get us out of this rut? Are men and women on the same page for travel ambitions? Read on and see for yourself:

Where they go:

Everybody loved Florida, which was top ranked as the place most likely for repeat vacations overall (15.5%) and for both men (14.3%) and women (17.1%). Vegas and the Southwest US scored much higher with men at almost 12%, compared to 7.3% for women. Mexico also was bottom of the list for women with just 2.2%, while men more than doubled it with 4.5%. Women, instead, preferred the Caribbean to the tune of 10.8% of the vote (vs 7.9% for men).

Why they go:

Good prices and great weather top the chart in a tie for reasons to return to a destination. The other leading reasons were convenience related, with "peace of mind/no worries when I get there" and "easy to get to" in the next spots. "Safety" was the fifth most important reason. However, when you slice by gender, priorities change a bit. Price and then weather are still the first and second drivers for men but then "my partner likes it" jumps into the top five, knocking out 'safety.' Meanwhile, for women, 'great weather' beats 'price,' and "visiting family" breaks into the top five, also knocking out safety. So it's chivalry before safety for men -- and family ahead of self for women. Also of note: "the number of good-looking people" and "great bars and night life" were among the least important reasons for returning to a place.

What they do there:

Proving that we all fall into routines, more than 43% of those surveyed reported they ate at the same restaurant on repeat visits with more than 37% visiting the same attractions, almost 35% staying at the same hotel and 22% eating the same meal again. Almost 20% have gone back with one or more new groups of friends (and almost 10% with a different partner or spouse).

Why they would make a change: