Americans Refuse to Cancel Summer Trips — But 1 in 3 Who Put It On Credit Are Still Paying Off Last Year’s Vacation

People will give up a lot before they give up their summer trip. In Priceline’s 2026 State of Summer Travel Report, 83% of adults 21 and older said they’d drop alcohol before canceling a vacation, 45% would give up dining out, and 20% said they’d give up sex first. You read that right. The vacation wins.

That’s the mood heading into summer 2026. Travel feels expensive, a lot of people are stressed about money, and they’re going anyway. The question isn’t really whether you should travel. It’s whether you’ll still be paying for this trip next spring.

The numbers back up the vibe. Priceline found that 79% of Americans expect to take at least one trip this summer, 73% say they’ll do whatever it takes to make a vacation happen, and 68% say it just wouldn’t feel like summer without one. People are even planning longer trips than last year.

But that determination is sitting on top of real financial strain. In the same survey, 44% said a summer vacation feels out of reach this year, 84% feel they’re paying more and getting less when they travel, and 55% find travel less affordable than it was last year. So the picture is a lot of people white-knuckling their way to the beach.

Two separate surveys landed on the exact same headline number for who’s actually going. Deloitte’s 2026 summer travel survey of 4,003 Americans found 45% are planning a vacation with paid lodging, the lowest share in six years. NerdWallet’s annual report, based on a Harris Poll of more than 2,000 adults, also put it at 45%. When two big independent surveys agree to the decimal, pay attention.

Part of this is just prices. According to the Bank of America Institute, oil jumped more than $30 a barrel in March, and that fed straight into the pump and the cockpit. The consumer price index for airfares rose 6% between February and April alone. Driving got pricier, flying got pricier, and consumers noticed.

Here’s the part that matters for your wallet: this isn’t hitting everyone equally. Call it the K-shaped summer. Bank of America found that nearly 40% of lower-income households have no travel plans at all, and their travel spending is actually down year over year. Deloitte saw the same split from the other side. Households earning $100,000 or more now make up 55% of all travelers, up from 50% in 2025. And when money gets tight, travel is the first thing to go for 51% of Americans earning under $100,000.

So if you feel like everyone on your feed is in Europe while you’re debating a tank of gas to the lake, you’re not imagining it. The travel economy is splitting in two.

Speaking of Europe, that’s where the money is flowing. Bank of America’s card data shows the top domestic destinations are California, Florida, Texas, and New York, while Europe has surged in popularity among middle and higher earners, with the UK, France, and Italy leading. Around 40% of respondents are also factoring the FIFA World Cup into their plans, since matches are spread across the US, Canada, and Mexico.

This is the stat that should change how you book. NerdWallet found that 74% of people who put last summer’s travel on a credit card did not pay it off with the first statement. More than a third, 35%, still haven’t paid it off at all. That’s a vacation from a year ago quietly charging interest every single month.

Run the math, and it stings. NerdWallet says 2026 summer travelers expect to spend about $3,940 on flights and lodging. Put that on a card and carry it at the current average rate for balances that accrue interest, roughly 21.5% according to the Federal Reserve’s G.19 report, and paying it down over a year costs you around $470 in interest. Stretch it out with minimum payments and you’ll pay far more than that, sometimes for years. A one-week trip can easily turn into an 18-month financial commitment.

None of this means don’t travel. It means knowing how you’re paying before you swipe.

The good news from NerdWallet: 89% of 2026 travelers plan to take some action to save money on their trip. The bad news from Priceline: 69% have made cost-cutting decisions they later regretted, like driving instead of flying or booking a miserable multi-stop flight to save a few bucks. The goal is to cut smart, not cut painful. A few moves that actually work:

Build a travel fund before you build an itinerary. Take that $3,940 average and divide it by the months between now and your trip. Set up an automatic transfer to a separate savings account for that amount. When the trip arrives, you pay with cash you already set aside, and the credit card interest math never enters the picture. This is boring. It also works every time.

Be skeptical of the points hustle. About 32% of travelers plan to cover costs with credit card points or miles, but 48% of Americans say those programs are too complicated to bother with. Points are great when you’re spending on stuff you’d buy anyway and paying the balance in full. They’re a trap when you open a new card, chase a signup bonus, and then carry a balance at 21.5%. Any interest you pay wipes out the rewards instantly.

Treat refundable fares and travel insurance as a real decision, not a reflex. NerdWallet found 67% of Americans think it’s worth paying extra for refundable flights and 62% for travel insurance. Sometimes it is, especially on an expensive international trip or a non-refundable rental you can’t afford to lose. On a cheap domestic weekend, that flexibility premium is often money you’d be better off keeping.

Let a tool do the deal hunting. Half of Americans plan to use AI tools to find better travel deals this year, and that jumps to 69% among Millennials. It makes sense, since 81% say planning a vacation is exhausting and 43% blame the hunt for the best deal specifically. The same instinct applies to the money side. SuperMoney’s app connects your checking, savings, and credit card accounts in one place, and its Sense AI assistant can show you where your money’s actually going and where there’s room to carve out a travel fund without raiding next month’s rent. Automated insights beat willpower, especially in June when the beach is calling. Download the app, link your accounts, and let it find the travel money you didn’t know you had.

The short version: a credit card is a fine way to pay for a trip you’ve already funded. It’s an expensive way to pay for one you haven’t.

Go on the trip. Just go on it with a plan, so the only thing you bring home is a sunburn and a camera roll, not a balance you’re still paying off when the leaves turn.