Project 85, a new study from AOL, Mandala Research and Solutionz Consulting, shows that 85% of travelers are leisure travelers who choose to drive to their destination. This group is projected to spend $171 billion on trips each year.

The research revealed that leisure drive travelers:

• love control and convenience with 78% choosing to drive even if another form of transportation were available;

• self-service online and mobile tools provide value to leisure drive travelers when planning their trips ;

• nine out of 10 leisure drive travelers use online maps for directions:

               o 55% MapQuest

               o 50% Google Maps

               o 25% GPS in vehicle

               o 23% Paper maps

Additional key findings were around audience segmentations:

• Boomers (travelers 45-64) on average take 2 trips per year, spending over $1,000 per trip. Half of their budget is spent on shopping.

• Families (leisure travelers with children) and Generation X (leisure travelers age 29-44) take 3 trips per year on average, spending over $1,500 per trip.

• Seniors (leisure travelers over 65) prefer to drive due to comfort and on average take 3 trips per year, each totaling over $1,000.

• Over 80% of Millennials (leisure travelers 18-28) plan to take a leisure drive trip in the next 12 months.