From hiking, fishing, to skiing and 4-wheel driving… it seems Australians don’t want to just relax on holiday!

Whether it’s hiking through stunning national parks or exploring the incredible ski fields, there’s no doubt that Aussies love combining their passions with the chance to discover the diverse landscapes that Australia has to offer.

We are known to be sporty and adventurous, and there’s no better way to embrace that spirit than with an active holiday—but just how far does this stereotype go?

Budget Direct surveyed more than 1,000 Australians over 18 years-of-age to find out their adventure and sporting travel habits.

Quick Stats

  • Half of those surveyed said they were comfortable with a physically challenging adventure holiday.

  • More than a third of sporting or adventure holidays were in the past 12 months and age doesn’t seem to limit desire with close to 20% of these respondents aged between 68 and 77-years-old.

  • 80% of respondents indicated they’ve holidayed to either hike, fish, or ski.

  • 64% of Aussies surveyed booked their holiday domestically, with the next popular choice being our neighbours, New Zealand.

  • More than 50% of respondents said they wanted to indulge their passions as a key motivator for going on a sporting-led holiday.

  • Queensland respondents were the most likely to value the location as the most important holiday factor (80%) whereas Victorians valued cost-effectiveness (75%).

Aussies are frequently booking adventure-led holidays

How recent was your last adventure/sporting based holiday?

Gender

More than a third of Australians who were surveyed had gone on a sporting or adventure holiday in the past 12 months.

Hiking, fishing, and skiing take the cake as the most popular adventure/sporting-led holidays for Australians

What activities have you been on an adventure holiday for?

Activity Australia
Hiking/Trekking 35.7%
Climbing

11.2%

Running/marathon/trail-endurance

9.0%

Canyoning

6.5%

Safari

7.7%

Golf

11.5%

Triathlon

2.7%

Tennis

11.5%

Combat sports (judo, karate, boxing etc)

3.3%

4-wheel driving

16.6%

Horse riding/equestrian

8.3%

Skiing

21.0%

Snowboarding

10.0%

Scuba diving

12.9%

Rafting

9.6%

Kayak/canoe

15.1%

Sailing

6.4%

Surfing

12.2%

Fishing

25.3%

Skydiving 5.2%
Paragliding

4.4%

Other

10.6%

*Respondents were able to select more than one response, values may not add up to 100%.

It seems Australians don’t want to relax on holiday, with a combined 80% of survey respondents who said they had been on an adventure holiday indicating they’ve holidayed to either hike, fish, or ski.

Kayaking/canoeing (15%) and 4-wheel driving (17%) came in next as activities popular for adventure holidaying.

Scuba diving (13%) and surfing (12%) were also popular holiday activities.

Just over 50% of survey respondents indicated they’ve holidayed to either climb, golf, play tennis, snowboard or raft.

Aussies favour domestic sporting-led holidays

What destinations have you travelled to for an adventure holiday?

Gender

*Respondents were able to select more than one response, values may not add up to 100%.

Sporting-led holidays located within Australia are also the go-to, as 64% of Aussies surveyed booked their holiday domestically, with the next most popular choice being our neighbours, New Zealand (26%) and Asia (23%).

Europe (excluding the United Kingdom) represented 14% of adventure holiday destinations.

Africa and South America represented 4% of adventure holiday destinations.

Passion over skill

What are your key motivators to take adventure holidays?

Gender

*Respondents were able to select more than one response, values may not add up to 100%.

When discussing key motivators for going on a sporting-led holiday, 55% of survey respondents said they wanted to indulge their passions, while 44% wanted to challenge their skills.

Keeping fit while travelling came in next, representing 40% of survey respondents.

Only a quarter of respondents said conducting their sport in a new environment was a key motivator to take an adventure holiday.

Who did you travel with on your most recent adventure holiday?

Gender

As for who we holiday with, most survey respondents travelled with family on their sporting-led holiday (46%), with almost a quarter going with fellow sport/training friends.

Travelling alone was more popular than travelling with strangers, with 15% of respondents holidaying by themselves compared to 11% with a tour guide.

What level of physical challenge are you comfortable with on an adventure holiday?

Gender

A sporting-led holiday calls for no rest!

Half of those surveyed said they were comfortable with a physically challenging holiday.

Only 7% of respondents were comfortable with a physically ‘tough’ holiday, and 42% admitting a mildly physically challenging holiday was ideal.

Aussies feel an adventure-led holiday still requires planning

Where did you conduct your research for your most recent adventure holiday?

Gender

*Respondents were able to select more than one response, values may not add up to 100%.

Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents conducted their research for their most recent adventure holiday online (58%).

Friends with similar interests represented 40% of survey respondents.

It seems using travel agencies are still important to Aussies when it comes to conducting research for holidays, with 17% noting they have used a travel agency to help conduct research for their most recent sporting-led holiday.

How much of the adventure holiday did you plan in advance?

Gender
States

Almost 70% of survey respondents had booked their holiday either in advance completely, or at least 75% of the trip.

Western Australian respondents were the most prepared for their sporting-led holiday, with 47% planning the trip completely in advance.

Victorian respondents were the least prepared with 5% pre planning none of their trip before jetting off for their adventure holiday.

Are you currently planning your next adventure holiday?

Gender

When asked whether Aussies were planning their next adventure holiday, the survey responses were pretty evenly split.

Just over 51% of those surveyed said they were not currently planning their next adventure holiday, with just under half stating that they were (48%).

When are you planning on taking your next adventure holiday?

Gender

While mostly taking local sport-led holidays, Australians who were surveyed are still keen to book their next, with 41% of respondents planning their next adventure holiday within the year, and 32% in the next two years.

Location, location, location!

What factors are most important to you when choosing an adventure holiday?

Gender
States

*Respondents were able to select more than one response, values may not add up to 100%.

When it came to what factors are most important when choosing an adventure-led holiday, location was valued the most at 76%, with cost close behind (73%).

*Respondents were able to select more than one response, values may not add up to 100%.

Queenslanders also valued the location the most (80% of respondents) whereas Victorians were the most cost-effective, coming in first for cost being the most important factor when choosing a sporting-led holiday (75%).