Recent travellers our top pick for holiday advice

Sure, there’s a multitude of websites, travel agents, guidebooks and TV shows out there to help with your holiday plans, but sometimes you can’t go past word-of-mouth advice. Friends and family tell it like it is, without fear, favour or commercial motivation – just the benefit of their own experience. Indeed, the latest findings from Roy Morgan Research show that nearly one third of the population are ‘Trusted Advisers’ when it comes to planning a holiday, sought after by friends and family for their travel tips.

In the 12 months to September 2014, 33% of Australians 14+ (or 6.3 million people) reported being asked for advice about planning a holiday by friends or family. Among different age groups, Aussies aged 25-34 are the most sought-after Trusted Advisers (44%), ahead of 35-49 year-olds (35%).

Of course, recent travel experience adds to a Trusted Adviser’s authority, and people who’ve been on holidays of their own in the last 12 months are more sought after than the average Australian for their advice. Just over 52% of those who’d been on an overseas trip and just under 40% of those who’d taken a domestic trip were asked to share their holiday hints.

Who are Australia’s most trusted advisers for travel tips?

Source: Roy Morgan Single Source (Australia), October 2013 – September 2014 (n=16,176).

Angela Smith, Group Account Director, Roy Morgan Research, says:

“It makes sense that people who travelled internationally in the last 12 months are more likely than those who took a domestic holiday to be Trusted Advisers for planning a holiday. Domestic travel doesn’t tend to require as much planning and research, as holiday-makers are essentially staying on home turf; whereas an overseas trip usually involves at least some unknowns. Tips from friends/family who have already been there can help make all the difference. Forewarned is forearmed, after all!

“Our data also shows that more frequent travellers, whether international or domestic, are more likely to be sought out for their holiday advice. Nothing beats a personal and up-to-date report of what a hotel is really like, where the best restaurants are, or what the latest tourist scams are, for example.

“Considering that they are more likely to have taken an overseas holiday in the last 12 months than any other age group, it’s no surprise that Australians aged between 25 and 34 are also more likely than any other age group to be Trusted Advisers for holiday planning.”