Study Ranks Biggest Sources of Stress for Travelers

Of all the things that could go wrong when traveling for business, lost luggage is the most likely to make travelers stress out. A new study by travel-management consulting firm CWT Solutions Group asked 6,000 travelers to score 33 sources of travel-related stress. These stress triggers can be sorted into three categories: situations that take up time that could have been spent more productively, unforeseen surprises and things that disrupt travelers’ routines. Here are the 10 stressors with the highest overall scores:

1. Lost or delayed baggage
2. Poor/no  Internet connection
3. Flying economy on long flights
4. Delays
5. Inconvenient arrival or departure times
6. Low hotel category
7. Inconvenient hotel location
8. Last-minute requests to travel
9. Difficulty sticking to a diet of healthy food
10. Traveling on weekends

There were variations, however, in the way different demographic groups experienced stress. Women on average reported more stress than men. Those who made more than 30 trips a year were better at dealing with surprises but more stressed by situations that wasted time. The consulting firm says the study lays the groundwork for building an overall understanding of travel stress that could ultimately lead to cost-saving recommendations for businesses. The full study is available as a free download. cwt-solutions-group.com