Americans Are Cutting Spending to Keep Traveling, Survey Finds
Many Americans are making serious financial tradeoffs to afford their dream vacations.
Rather than giving up travel — which they see as essential for rest and recovery — they’re trimming other parts of their budgets to make trips possible.
In the new USA TODAY Workforce Survey, powered by SurveyMonkey and conducted Jan. 8–20, 51% of the 3,156 U.S. respondents age 18 and older said they reduced spending in the past 12 months specifically to pay for travel.
Among travelers intentionally budgeting for vacations, 20% described their financial cuts as significant, while another 31% said the reductions were somewhat significant.
Workers prioritize travel amid burnout
Angela Tran, a public relations account executive in New York, treats travel as a fixed expense in her budget — on par with rent, car insurance, utilities and groceries. “I do make traveling a top priority and having an ample amount of PTO is super important to me,” Tran told USA TODAY.
Over the past few years, she’s taken at least two long trips annually, viewing them as motivation and relief from work stress. She described the trips as “something to look forward to so I don’t feel burnt out from work.”
To afford them, Tran has cut back on dining out, declined social events with friends and reduced the number of streaming subscriptions she pays for.
Travel and happiness go hand in hand
Research suggests travelers see emotional benefits from their trips. According to G Adventures’ Happiness List 2026, 89% of the 8,000 adults planning to travel in 2026 across the U.S., UK, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Australia and New Zealand believe purpose-driven travel supports long-term happiness. These trips provide both a sense of wonder and opportunities to disconnect and reconnect.
One experience highlighted by travelers is Panama’s San Blas Islands, known for turquoise waters and white-sand beaches. Visitors can stay in Indigenous-owned accommodations, including traditional huts, and explore the islands by boat while unplugging from daily life.
Making travel work financially
Tran considers herself a cost-conscious traveler and is willing to endure long layovers to secure cheaper flights. Like her, many Americans say cost strongly influences their vacation decisions.
KAYAK’s 2026 What the Future report found travel expenses are the biggest factor shaping how often Gen Z and millennial travelers expect to take trips. Among the survey’s 2,029 U.S. respondents, 70% said cost affects their travel plans for 2026.
Instead of abandoning trips, younger travelers are getting creative. More than one-third expressed interest in installment payment plans to make vacations affordable. The use of price trackers to time bookings is also rising, with alerts for car rentals up 60% compared with last year.
Vacations remain a top priority
For many workers, the sacrifices feel worthwhile. Travel is the leading planned use of paid time off, with 55% of U.S. workers saying they intend to spend their vacation days on trips, according to the USA TODAY Workforce Survey.
At the same time, Americans report feeling short on both money and vacation time. The U.S. is known for having some of the fewest vacation days among industrialized nations. In 2024, American workers averaged 11 vacation days, compared with roughly a month off for workers in France.
To help travelers use unused PTO, Intrepid Travel introduced Short Breaks trips designed to fit immersive experiences into long weekends or short windows of time off.
“You know how sometimes your computer needs a reboot? Our brains are much the same,” Becky Spelman, a psychologist who partnered with Expedia for the travel platform’s 2024 Vacation Deprivation Report, previously told USA TODAY in a statement. “Over time, work stress can build up to an unsustainable level and our brain functions start to slow down and work less effectively.”
