Psychological factors and transport choices for European holidays

Which factors influence the choice of holiday destination and mode of transport?

This master’s thesis Destination, mode choice and psychological factors in European long-distance vacation travels | TU Delft Repository  conducted by Jake Berger at TU Delft in collaboration with CE Delft, examines how psychological factors, such as travel-related anxieties and risk-taking tendencies, influence these choices. It also explores the impact of through-ticketing: a single ticket for a train journey involving transfers, including passenger protection in the event of missed connections due to delays.

The five research questions were:

1. How do destination and transport attributes influence European long-distance vacation travel choices?
2. How do mode-related anxieties & risk-taking influence European long-distance vacation travel choices?
3. How do sociodemographic characteristics influence European long-distance vacation travel choices?
4. What are the significant interactions between vacation travel (destination & transport) attributes in European long-distance vacation travel choices?
5. How would the obligation of through-ticketing influence European long-distance vacation travel choices?

Based on a representative stated portfolio-choice experiment involving 691 Dutch residents, the study finds that psychological factors play a significant role in the choice of transport mode and holiday destination. Furthermore, the results show that through-ticketing substantially increases the attractiveness of train journeys involving transfers, although direct connections remain the preferred option. The findings provide valuable insights for policies aimed at making international rail travel a more attractive alternative to travelling by car or plane.

The data set related to this experiment can be downloaded here.