- Priceline: Summer travel happening despite rising costs.
- Around 79 percent plan at least one summer trip.
- Data shows more budget trips.
AMERICANS ARE REFUSING to give up summer vacations despite rising travel costs, according to Priceline. Most are cutting spending elsewhere to fund trips this season.
Priceline’s “2026 State of Summer Travel Report” found that 79 percent of Americans plan to take at least one trip this summer, despite 44 percent saying a summer vacation feels out of reach this year.
“What we’re seeing is a traveler who hasn’t pulled back on the aspiration but is being more deliberate about how they get there,” said Brigit Zimmerman, Priceline CEO. “People are cutting back everywhere else, spending more time researching deals and making trade-offs they later regret.”
The study, based on a Wakefield Research survey of 2,500 U.S. adults conducted in March, found that 73 percent would do whatever it takes to make a vacation happen. Meanwhile, 68 percent said it would not feel like summer without one.
It also found that 84 percent of respondents are paying more and getting less for travel, while 55 percent said travel is less affordable than a year ago.
Priceline, a U.S. online travel agency, said the data reflects a K-shaped travel economy, with more Americans opting for budget trips, fewer choosing mid-range travel and high-end spending holding steady.
Parents and Millennials are feeling the greatest financial pressure. Parents were 34 percent more likely than non-parents to cut daily spending to pay for travel, though 89 percent still plan to vacation this summer.
Around 23 percent of parents had cancelled or changed travel plans due to rising costs, compared with 16 percent of non-parents. Millennials showed a similar pattern, with 36 percent saying vacations that once seemed attainable now feel like a luxury, while 28 percent expect to spend $5,000 or more on summer travel.
About 69 percent had made travel decisions they later regretted, including staying with family or friends instead of booking a hotel, driving instead of flying, shortening trips or choosing flights with multiple stops.
About 81 percent described vacation planning as exhausting, with 43 percent citing the search for the best deal. While 65 percent said finding a travel deal is nearly impossible, 85 percent said securing one feels as rewarding as the trip itself. Reflecting this shift, 50 percent of Americans plan to use AI tools to find travel deals this year, rising to 69 percent among Millennials and 62 percent among Gen Z.
Christina Bennett, Priceline’s consumer travel trends expert, said parents and Millennials are facing the most financial pressure this summer but are also planning to spend the most on travel.
“That’s exactly why they’re the most likely to turn to AI for help planning their trips,” she said. “When the cost of getting it wrong is highest, that’s when people want the most help getting it right.”
A separate PricewaterhouseCoopers “US Consumer Poll on Summer Spending” found that 71 percent of US adults plan to spend the same or more on summer travel than last year, suggesting steady spending for summer 2026, even as cost pressures continue to shape travel decisions across income and age groups.
