Americans are ditching summer travel plans this year at a record rate.
According to a recent Deloitte survey, only 45% of Americans are planning vacations with paid lodging, hitting a six-year low due to inflation, the K-shaped economy, and surging airfares. While lower and middle-income families delay or scale back their plans, affluent consumers are splurging on luxury and premium experiences.
The middle class ($100,000 to $199,000) demographic saw the steepest decline in summer travel plans, dropping to 37% this year from 45% in 2025. Among households earning less than $100,000, 86% report that daily expenses restrict their ability to travel, with 16% stating these costs prevent them from taking vacations entirely. These numbers vary significantly from the middle-income and high-income families, where only 3% of high-income and 5% of middle-income Americans state that daily expenses prevent them from traveling entirely.
With airfares up over 20% year-over-year in April—bolstered by current fuel costs—many budget-conscious Americans are putting off bookings in the hopes of last-minute price drops. Others are opting for cheaper, local road trips rather than international flights. A different survey from InteleTravel reported that outbound international bookings have plummeted by 25% compared to 2025.
Wealthier Americans still remain the biggest travel spenders. Recently, airlines like United have reported record quarterly revenues driven by demand for premium and luxury seating. Plenty of hotels and resorts have also noticed the rising desire for elevated luxury travel and amenities.
Ultimately, while fewer Americans will travel this summer overall, those who do are increasing their spending on high-end experiences.
