The travel bug has bitten Illinoisans. Hard.
The state ranks No. 3 in the nation when it comes to residents’ penchant for travel, according to new data from Digital Third Coast, a Chicago-based digital marketing firm.
The company crunched data from Google search trends to find which states, per capita, most often searched online for travel-related keywords — airline tickets, Airbnb, cheap flights, etc.
California led the list, followed by Connecticut.
Besides Illinois, the only Midwest state to crack the top 10 was Michigan, “whose residents are probably trying to escape the harsh winters in favor of a tropical island,” noted Digital Third Coast content strategist Roxy Fata.
Those states with the lowest percentage of people with wanderlust include Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky and West Virginia.
A separate report has good news for singles who travel for business: Just because you’re on the road a lot doesn’t mean that your romantic life has to take a back seat.
A survey by online dating app Match.com and travel app Localeur.com found that nearly 40 percent of singles admit they have flirted with someone at the airport while traveling for business, one-third of singles have flirted with someone on a plane while traveling for business, 44 percent have flirted with someone at their hotel and 34 percent have contemplated asking someone new out on a date while traveling for work.
The same data also reveal that Chicago happens to be among the top destinations for solo business travelers. And where do singles like to meet up for that date while on the road? Why, a restaurant, of course. And the top eateries for those dates in the the city? RM Champagne Salon in the West Loop, Whiskey Business in Wicker Park and Quiote in Logan Square.
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