December 11, 2003 (The Editor’s Desk is updated each business day.)

Spending on travel

Consumer units that went on trips in 2000 spent an average of $875 on travel for the year.

[Chart data—TXT]

Transportation expenses were the highest of any category of travel expenditures, $352 on average. Expenditures on transportation include all costs incurred traveling to and from the destination, as well as other transportation costs incurred while on the trip.

The next largest expenditure was on food, an average of $204. Food expenditures encompass all costs for food and alcohol consumed on the trip.

Lodging ($177), gifts ($76), and entertainment ($66) accounted for the remainder of travel expenditures. Lodging expenses include the costs for hotels, motels, cottages, trailer camps, and other types of lodging. Gift expenditures include all gifts purchased on the trip for persons other than those in the consumer unit. Entertainment expenditures take into account all types of entertainment, such as admission to sporting events, parks, museums, and tours, as well as any types of fees related to these events.

The Consumer Expenditure Survey is the source of these data. Find out more in "Consumer expenditures for selected items, 1999 and 2000," Monthly Labor Review, May 2003.

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