by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 8:55 AM ET, Tue June 23, 2026
While travel costs are higher this year, high travel demand is compelling Americans to cut back on non-travel spending to continue traveling this summer, according to Priceline's new summer travel report.
A first for Priceline, the 2026 State of Summer Travel Report was conducted by Wakefield Research with 2,500 U.S.-based respondents in March, 2026.
As Travel Costs Rise, Americans Prioritize Travel
While 44% of Americans say a summer vacation feels out of reach for them this year, 73% report planning to do whatever it takes to travel, and 79% expect to travel at least once this summer.
Americans are also planning to travel longer.
Cost is a major factor in travelers feeling the pinch: 84% said they're paying more and getting less for their travel spending, with 55% of Americans finding travel costs higher this year than in 2025.
The Impact of Higher Travel Costs
While the entire commercial market—anything that's bought and sold—is more expensive this year, travel remains a critical necessity for many Americans, and they're often cutting back on other spending to save for travel experiences.
Over one-third of Americans have cut everyday expenses to fund a summer vacation, with 83% of adults saying they'd give up alcohol before giving up their vacation. A smaller portion, 45%, would give up dining out to go on vacation, while 20% would give up sex.
"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, CEO, Priceline. "People are cutting back everywhere else, spending more time researching deals, and making trade-offs they later regret. Our goal is to help them find the trip they want at the price they can afford."
Yet it's not always easy to cut travel costs: 69% of Americans have made cost-cutting decisions with their travel experiences they later regret, like staying with friends or family instead of at a hotel (20%), driving instead of flying (20%), reducing the length of their trip (19%) or booking a multiple-stop flight to save money (19%).
Sixty-five percent of Americans reported that finding a truly great deal feels impossible.
Who's Feeling the Higher Travel Costs?
Families are feeling the pinch in their wallets the most, with parents 34% more likely than non-parents to cut everyday expenses to fund summer travel, even as 89% of parents still plan to travel this summer.
Yet 23% of parents have had to cancel or severely change their vacation plans due to higher costs.
Millennials are also feeling the cost pressure: 36% say trips that were once attainable feel like a luxury. Higher-income Millennials, 28% of them, plan to spend $5,000 or more on their summer trips, the most of any generation.
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