Americans cut – As gas prices, expensive airfare, and broad economic stress weigh on household budgets, only 45% of Americans plan to take a summer vacation—the lowest share in six years. Many travelers are driving instead of flying, cutting other spending, or skipping trips
For one reader, the invitation landed like a punchline: a birthday trip with destinations ranging from Mexico City to Chicago to New York. Then came the internal math—the pause where excitement turns into arithmetic—and the grim realization that the bill might be out of reach.
This isn’t just personal discomfort. High gas prices and higher airfare are reshaping how Americans think about summer travel. driven by oil prices and strong demand. with storms still threatening delays. For families, the impact isn’t confined to airports. It shows up in grocery bills, savings habits, deferred maintenance, and retirement plans—then it follows into leisure decisions too.
Only 45% of Americans say they’re planning to take a summer vacation, the lowest percentage in six years. And the choices people make to cope are getting more specific, and more painful. Some are trading flights for long drives. One example described an eight-hour drive to a neighboring state and a hotel secured using credit card points.
The tradeoff is clear: the flight isn’t the only cost problem. Driving doesn’t eliminate it. Gas prices still bite—one tank cost $60, softened only by the fact that the reader recently bought a hybrid.
For others, the vacation squeeze is spreading beyond the calendar and into day-to-day life. Single parents who rely on other childcare during the school year are now applying for scholarships to cover day camps they could previously afford. Some parents are staying home with their kids through summer, risking paychecks to keep a lid on expenses.
The pattern is hard to ignore: when households feel squeezed across essentials and long-term security, vacations become something to postpone—or rebuild around what’s left.
And there’s a broader sense of timing too. The piece describing these realities links the vacation retreat to work burnout at a seven-year high. a more pessimistic view of the future. and the blunt truth that many people “straight-up hate” the economy. It frames the moment as cruelly mismatched: the time when people most want a break is also the time when it feels hardest to pay for.
To understand what summer looks like for readers, MISRYOUM has invited responses about whether high prices are changing travel plans. Readers are encouraged to share why or why not they’re taking a vacation this year.
The outlet is collecting material through a poll, a voicemail at (202) 655-3923, and an email to forum@usatoday.com with the subject line “Forum Vacations.” Responses will be published in an upcoming column, and the outlet may reach out to contributors about their experiences.
Janessa Hilliard, director of audience for USA TODAY Opinion and Opinion at USA TODAY Co., is overseeing the community forum.
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