ZEIT 1:1 Interview Guide

Author: Mary Schwab

Main Research Goals:

  • How do people decide where to travel to?

  • How do people book and organize their travel?

  • How do people decide what to do while they are traveling?

For each interview, I will collect the following information:

  • Age

  • Gender

  • Location

  • Occupation

  • Avg. budget spending for vacations

  • Tech abilities

Intro questions:

  • Around how many times per year do you travel for personal reasons/vacation?

  • Who do you usually travel with?

Travel planning and travel research questions:

  • Thinking about the last few vacations you’ve taken, how did you decide on the destination(s)?

  • Tell me about how you plan for your vacations

  • How far in advance do you start vacation planning?

  • How do you feel about the process of vacation planning?  

    • What is your favorite part about vacation planning?

    • What is your least favorite part about vacation planning?

  • Do you look to any sources (websites, content, people) for travel inspiration? 

    • If yes, which ones?

    • What do you find most useful about these inspirational resources?

  • What resources do you utilize when booking travel?

    • What do you find appealing or beneficial about these resources?

  • Tell me about a time when you had a really great experience booking travel (flights, accommodation, activity)

  • Tell me about a time when you had a bad experience booking travel (flights, accommodation, activity)

  • If you’re traveling with multiple people, how do you coordinate the travel planning process?

  • Do you plan a budget for trips? 

    • If yes, can you tell me about how you go about budget planning (no need to share exact monetary values)

  • Do you utilize any loyalty programs when booking travel? 

Travel experience questions:

  • Tell me about one of your most memorable travel experiences

  • Tell me about one of your most uncomfortable, travel experiences

  • What are your main goals while on vacation (e.g. relax, site-see, meet people/locals, explore local cuisine…)?

  • When you are traveling, what types of activities do you like to be in control of?

  • When you are traveling, what types of activities are you OK to leave up to chance?

  • Tell me about a time you took a group tour while on vacation

  • Do you prefer guided experiences or self guided? 

  • Do you ever re-visit favorite travel destinations?