Despite Rising Costs, Consumers Still Value Travel

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, 75% of them believe travel is becoming too expensive, up from 64% a year ago. But even with rising cost concerns, 81% of travelers report that vacations are one of the things they most look forward to each year, and 55% are willing to cut spending in other areas to fund their trips.

“This data confirms that travel is a top priority for many Americans,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International. “Seventy-four percent of travelers are telling us that the experiences they get from travel are more important to them than acquiring more material belongings.”

Eighty-four percent of travelers believe that traveling with friends and family brings them closer together, up from 78% a year ago. Eighty-seven percent of travelers have trips planned in the next six months, down from 93% last October.

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded September 1-4, 2026, using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over. Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U.S. population. 

Learn more and view the full study at Longwoods International.

Courtesy of Groups Today.