Families traveled long and far this summer (or at least longer and farther than predicted)

This past summer, the media was convinced that families would stick to short, close-to-home vacations. "Weekend getaways" is the term journalists often used. But the results of Trekaroo's 2009 summer travel survey found that many moms and dads were taking off with the kids for more than five days. And while California and Florida were the top two favorite vacation spots, international destinations came in at No. 3. Canada was particularly popular with the family crowd.

Here's a summary of the survey results from Trekaroo, a Web site that's dedicated to all things related to family travel.

1. Budgets were top of mind.

• At least 54% of families were on a budget;
• At least half were more concerned with this year's budget than last year's;
• Budgets were on average $1,200; median $600
• Lodging, travel, and food were the top three vacation activities most impacted by budget;
• About 62% found planning activities in advance was the key to staying on budget;
• Nearly 60% used sites like Trekaroo to research budget friendly vacation activities, and
• Approximately 59% used coupons or other travel incentives.

2. Families didn't just stay local.

• Approximately 62% of families traveled to another state or abroad. The top 3 destinations were Florida, California and international.
• Beach vacations and theme parks were the top preferred vacation destinations;
• Cars were the vehicle of choice. Nearly 68% of families preferred driving to flying or train travel; and
• Canada was the number one international destination for families this summer.

3. Time wasn't a factor.

• Nearly 40% of families planned vacations of five days or more.

Did you go on a family trip this summer? Were you on a budget? Were you on the road for more than five days? Where did you go? Did you stick close to home?