51% of Americans are sacrificing everyday spending to keep traveling, according to a recent survey. This means that over half of Americans have cut back on spending in the last year to afford travel, prioritizing it as a non-negotiable part of their budget. Many people are making significant financial sacrifices to go on trips, reducing expenses like dining out, social events, and streaming services. This trend is particularly prominent among young travelers, with 70% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents citing travel costs as the biggest factor in their vacation planning for 2026. To afford their trips, people are getting creative, using installment plans and price trackers to help them save money. Despite the sacrifices, going on trips remains a top priority for many Americans, with 55% of U.S. workers saying this is how they want to use their vacation days. However, Americans are notorious for taking the fewest vacations globally, and the fact that they get the fewest vacation days out of 11 industrialized countries may also play a role. Intrepid Travel’s new Short Breaks trips are designed to help travelers use more of their PTO by fitting immersive adventures into long weekends and short time off.
