Key findings:
- 30% of U.S. adults started summer 2026 with firm plans to take a leisure trip, and an additional 24% were considering one.
- 51% ultimately took some form of leisure trip, including 12% who opted for a local trip or staycation.
- 53% say overall cost or budget influenced their summer travel decisions.
- 22% spent more on summer leisure travel than they originally expected.
As summer 2026 comes to an end, how closely did U.S. adults’ travel plans match what they actually did? YouGov Surveys: Serviced data looks at U.S. adults’ intentions at the start of summer, how those plans played out and the factors that shaped their travel decisions. The analysis also draws on YouGov Voices, which uses AI to conduct and analyze large-scale qualitative conversations, to provide additional context on why some people changed, scaled back or abandoned their summer travel plans.
How many people in the U.S. planned to travel in summer 2026?
At the start of summer 2026, 30% of U.S. adults had firm plans to take a leisure trip. A further 24% were considering traveling but had not made firm plans.
By comparison, 42% neither planned nor seriously considered taking a leisure trip, while 4% were unsure.
Taken together, just over half of U.S. adults (54%) entered summer either planning or considering leisure travel, although intentions varied in how firmly they were set.
How many U.S. adults actually traveled in summer 2026?
By the end of summer, around half of U.S. adults (51%) had taken some form of leisure trip.
More than a quarter (28%) say they took roughly the trip they had originally planned, while 11% travelled but took a different trip from the one they initially had in mind. Another 12% opted for a local trip or staycation instead.
Nearly half of U.S. adults (47%) did not take a leisure trip during summer 2026, while 2% were unsure.
Voices conversations suggest that changing plans did not always mean giving up on leisure altogether. One male respondent aged 25-34 who dropped plans for an overseas family trip because of the cost, said: “We scaled back to something simpler and closer to home, choosing to go surfing instead." They described the alternative as “something new and a little out of our comfort zone that remained affordable”.
Why did people in the U.S. change their summer travel plans in 2026?
Finances stand out as the most common factor shaping U.S. adults’ summer travel decisions. More than half (53%) say overall cost or budget influenced what they decided to do, well ahead of any other factor measured.
Family or household needs rank second at 28%, while 22% cite transport or accommodation prices and 21% point to work, school or other schedules.
The Voices interviews show how these pressures can overlap. One female respondent over the age of 55 said they chose a destination close to home that was “well within my budget,” explaining: “For budget reasons I wanted to keep my spending down.” Hot weather also influenced how far they were willing to travel.
Other considerations include wanting to rest or avoid the stress of travel (17%), weather, safety or travel disruption (14%), and health or accessibility needs (11%).
Another female respondent over the age of 55 who stayed home cited both gas prices and extreme heat, saying they did not want to spend the money required to travel by car and were also put off flying by high fares and concerns about delays and cancellations.
Fewer U.S. adults say crowds or availability (10%), rewards, points or discounts (7%), or information and recommendations from social media or AI tools (5%) influenced their decisions.
How did U.S. adults’ summer 2026 travel plans compare with reality?
For one in five U.S. adults, summer travel costs exceeded their initial expectations. 22% say they spent more than expected, including 15% who spent somewhat more and 7% who spent much more.
A quarter (25%) spent about what they expected, while 11% spent less than anticipated.
More than a third (38%) say they did not spend anything on leisure travel, reflecting the sizeable share of U.S. adults who did not travel this summer.
For some respondents, the full cost of a trip only became clear after adding up individual expenses. One male respondent aged 25-34 who had hoped to travel abroad with a family of five said, "We had underestimated how fast costs stack up, with flights, hotel rooms, meals and activities quickly turning into a much larger overall expense."
Overall, the findings show that summer travel experiences for people in the U.S. did not always follow the plans they had at the start of the season. While around half ultimately traveled in some form, cost, family needs and other practical considerations led some to change trips, stay closer to home or skip travel altogether.
Methodology:
YouGov Surveys: Serviced provides quick survey results from nationally representative or targeted audiences in multiple markets. This study was conducted online on August 21, 2026, with a nationally representative sample of 709 adults (aged 18+ years) in the U.S., using a questionnaire designed by YouGov. Data figures have been weighted by age, race, gender, education, and region to be representative of all adults in the U.S. (18 years or older), and reflect the latest population estimates from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
YouGov Voices: Quotes and qualitative analysis comes from YouGov Voices interviews. The AI-conducted interviews took place directly following the quantitative study cited in this article, starting with the question prompt, “Thinking about summer this year, how did what you end up doing compare with what you originally hoped?” The AI interviewer then adapted follow-up questions based on respondent answers, with up to 12-turns in each interview. Responses were collected from 709 adults in the U.S. who completed the YouGov Surveys questionnaire on August 21, 2026.
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