Inter- and Intrapersonal variation in destination choice

Abstract

This paper examines spatial-temporal inter- and intrapersonal variation in destination choice, based on longitudinal smartphone data for the Netherlands. Mixed logit destination choice models were estimated using two years of data (2014 and 2015) from the Dutch Mobile Mobility Panel, in which over 68,000 trips for 442 respondents were recorded with a smartphone app during an annual four-week measurement period. A distinction was made between trips to compulsory activities (such as work) and trips for discretionary purposes (such as recreation) as they are associated with different trip characteristics. Discrete destination alternatives were defined based on individuals’ behaviour in terms of repeatedly visited destinations and the statistical distribution of a spatial repetition index. The model results show that intrapersonal variation in destination choice, departure time and mode choice was relatively high for less frequently visited locations, which indicates novelty-seeking behaviour in destination choice. Furthermore, we found a strong connection between activity, departure time, and destination choice. And, mode choice and departure time choice were highly repetitive for destinations visited repetitively (e.g. work), but not for discretionary activities.