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:
- 3 in 5 Americans say inflation is affecting their travel plans.
- 55% of Americans plan on spending less money this summer than last summer.
- 1 in 4 people say it’s worth going into debt for a good vacation.
- Roughly 3 in 5 people think about post-vacation credit card bills while they’re on vacation.
- 38% of people plan to use credit card rewards to pay for a vacation this year.
- 16% more people than last year say they are “very likely” to apply for a new credit card before a vacation this summer.
- 38% of Americans say they would stop dining out for a year to earn a free summer vacation.
Full Details Overall
| What do you worry about when traveling? (select all that apply) | |
|---|---|
| Weather | 62% |
| Money | 56% |
| Delays | 55% |
| Theft | 46% |
| Sleep | 29% |
| Terrorism | 27% |
| Inflation | 24% |
| Which are you more likely to do? | |
| Skip a vacation | 81% |
| Skip a credit card payment | 19% |
| Do you think about post-vacation credit card bills during your vacation? | |
| Yes | 59% |
| No | 41% |
| How likely are you to apply for a new credit card before a vacation in 2023? | |
| Very Unlikely | 42% |
| Not Likely | 31% |
| Likely | 17% |
| Very Likely | 9% |
| 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 | 60% |
| No | 40% |
| What would you do for a free summer vacation? (select all that apply) | |
| Stop dining out for a year | 38% |
| Stop drinking coffee for a year | 38% |
| Get an additional job | 37% |
| Work weekends during the winter | 35% |
| Stop watching TV for a year | 19% |
| Is it worth going into debt for a good vacation? | |
| No | 75% |
| Yes | 25% |
| Which, if any, credit card benefits have you used? (select all that apply) | |
| None | 46% |
| Rental car insurance | 29% |
| Price protection | 19% |
| Travel accident insurance | 18% |
| Trip delay/cancellation insurance | 18% |
| Return protection | 16% |
| Extended warranty | 15% |
| Do you plan on spending more or less money this summer than in 2022? | |
| Less | 55% |
| More | 45% |
Note: Percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.
