You can learn a lot about people from their travel habits generally and their attitudes toward summer travel in particular. After all, summer travel can be especially trying, on both our patience and our wallets.
To get a better sense of how U.S. consumers are feeling about their ability to get away heading into the most expensive time of the year, WalletHub conducted a nationally representative online survey. You can find the results in the following infographic.
Key Stats:
- 58% of Americans say inflation is affecting their travel plans.
- 41% more people would skip a credit card payment instead of a vacation this year compared to last year.
- 32% of people say travel usually gets them into debt.
- 38% of people are planning on using credit card rewards to pay for a vacation this year.
- Around 1 in 3 people are “likely” or “very likely” to apply for a new credit card before a vacation in 2022.
- Rental car insurance (27%) is the most used credit card benefit. It's nearly twice as popular as extended warranties (14%), the least used credit card benefit.
Full Details Overall
| What do you worry about when traveling? (select all that apply) | |
|---|---|
| Weather | 55% |
| Delays | 52% |
| Money | 52% |
| Theft | 44% |
| Covid | 43% |
| Sleep | 29% |
| Terrorism | 22% |
| Which are you more likely to do? | |
| Skip a vacation | 80% |
| Skip a credit card payment | 20% |
| Do you think about post-vacation credit card bills during your vacation? | |
| Yes | 55% |
| No | 45% |
| How likely are you to apply for a new credit card before a vacation in 2022? | |
| Very Unlikely | 41% |
| Not Likely | 29% |
| Likely | 22% |
| Very Likely | 8% |
| Are you planning on using credit card rewards to pay for a vacation this year? | |
| No | 62% |
| Yes | 38% |
| Is inflation affecting your travel plans? | |
| Yes | 58% |
| No | 42% |
| What would you do for a free summer vacation? (select all that apply) | |
| Stop dining out for a year | 44% |
| Work weekends during the winter | 42% |
| Stop drinking coffee for a year | 42% |
| Stop watching TV for a year | 23% |
| Does travel usually get you into debt? | |
| No | 68% |
| Yes | 32% |
| Which, if any, credit card benefits have you used? (select all that apply) | |
| None | 44% |
| Rental car insurance | 27% |
| Price protection | 23% |
| Trip delay/cancellation insurance | 23% |
| Return protection | 19% |
| Travel accident insurance | 18% |
| Extended warranty | 14% |
| Which type of credit card are you most likely to get? | |
| Cash back credit card | 51% |
| 0% credit card | 18% |
| Airline credit card | 10% |
| Gas credit card | 8% |
| General travel card | 8% |
| Hotel credit card | 5% |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.