Americans Spend 24 Full Work Days a Year Daydreaming About Vacation, Study Finds

Getting caught in a daydream is a totally natural part of life. Some 96 percent of adults admit to daydreaming at least once each day, and many of us drift off into our own little worlds even more often than that. And, it turns out everyone is spending their absent-minded time thinking about the same thing: taking a vacation.

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The study, conducted by OnePoll in partnership with Apple Vacations, found that 82 percent of people daydream about their next trip. And, according to TravelPulse's alaysis of the study’s data, Americans spend a whopping 200 hours a year on that same daydream.

The study, which analyzed the responses of 2,000 participants, also found that nearly one-third have these dreams of faraway places often. Some even take action on those dreams, with 65 percent admitting to checking out travel websites throughout the day.

In total, the study found the typical American spends 37 minutes a month looking at travel websites. While cruising the web, TravelPulse said, the average person visits four different websites in a month, or 48 per year.

However, sometimes these daydreams can turn into a real nightmare. As The New York Post explained, the study found that 79 percent of survey participants worry about getting the best deal. And 62 percent said finding a flight for any trip is “stressful.”

Luckily, survey respondents also said they have plenty of people to turn to for travel advice. Seven in 10 respondents said they ask their family and friend network for travel recommendations, and 34 percent said they turn to expert reviews online prior to booking.

And, according to Erica Doyne, senior vice president of marketing for AMResorts, this pattern of browsing may actually be helpful in de-stressing about planning a trip.

“The need to relax and rejuvenate is important in the lives of many individuals,” he told The New York Post. “Browsing travel websites in their free time is a way to get ideas on what kind of vacation they may what next, or what destinations would suit them best based on what kind of itinerary they enjoy while traveling.”

Want a little help browsing for your next getaway? Here are all the best places you should be planning to travel in 2020.