Americans Won't Give Up Summer Travel; 60% Say Vacation Is Non-Negotiable, Reveals New LugLess Survey

Americans are reshuffling their priorities to preserve travel plans, including dipping into retirement funds

DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LugLess, the easiest and most affordable luggage shipping service, today announced findings from its 2026 Summer Travel Habits survey of more than 1,000 U.S. citizens. Despite rising travel costs, such as airfare and baggage fees, vacation remains a priority for most Americans. Only 13% will skip a trip this year, while going on vacation is non-negotiable for 60% of respondents. But of the 60%, 41% will scale back their vacations to stay within budget.

Among Americans traveling less this year, nearly half (46%) say the reason is simple: They need to save money.

Americans are willing to sacrifice to go on vacation

Many Americans are getting crafty with making their travel budgets work. Twenty-seven percent of respondents have cut the number of trips they take, and 16% have switched to a cheaper destination. Some travelers (13%) have even chosen road trips over flying to further save where they can, showing that a modified vacation is better than no vacation at all.

Instead of relying on credit cards, 32% of Americans are budgeting carefully to stay within their means, while 18% are cutting back on everyday spending to make travel possible. Dining out (55%), clothing/beauty (41%), nightlife/alcohol (31%) and little treat culture (31%) are some of the expenses they’re pressing pause on to pad their travel funds.

Some travelers are even choosing to take financial risks rather than skip a vacation, with 8% willing to go into debt and 7% dipping into their savings and retirement funds.

Gone but not forgotten: Spirit Airlines' exit is reshaping budget travel

Rising airfare is becoming an accepted part of travel, with 31% of respondents acknowledging that flight prices have increased. Even so, 38% plan to fly more this year than they did in 2025.

To offset those higher costs, travelers are looking for ways to avoid baggage fees. Twenty-one percent have switched to airlines with included baggage. For travelers that stick with airlines without added baggage, 29% will use a carry-on to dodge fees. Another 10% have even gone as far as reconsidering flights for nearby locations to avoid the dreaded baggage cost.

Adding to Americans’ travel woes is the loss of Spirit Airlines, impacting 38% of respondents who used the budget-friendly airline to keep vacation costs low. With it now gone, 40% of former Spirit travelers say they've switched to another low-cost carrier, like Frontier (30%) or Southwest (27%), while 23% say they're traveling less this season as a result.

Better safe than sorry: Travelers see trip insurance as money well spent

As vacations become a priority for Americans, more travelers are protecting their investment. More than one-quarter (27%) purchased travel insurance for upcoming trips, while 19% who previously skipped trip protection say they're changing their approach this summer.

As for why they are, 35% say they can’t afford to lose a trip due to high costs, while 27% have learned from hearing about their friends’ travel horror stories. For international travelers, uncertainty around safety and stability prompted 27% to purchase coverage.

“Americans are becoming much more intentional about how they spend so they don’t have to sacrifice their vacations,” said Audrey Kohout, co-CEO of LugLess. “It has become something they protect. Instead of canceling trips, they’re cutting everyday expenses, buying travel insurance, rethinking airline choices and looking for ways to avoid unnecessary fees. As baggage fees increase, simplifying luggage logistics is one more way travelers can reduce stress and make every travel dollar go further."

Methodology

The Propeller Insights survey commissioned by LugLess surveyed 1,000+ U.S. citizens in July 2026. Survey responses were representative of the U.S. population for age, gender, region and ethnicity. The maximum margin of sampling error was +/- 3.0 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence.

About LugLess

LugLess was created to bypass the inefficient, outdated and broken process of checking luggage and shipping your personal effects. Our technology leverages existing logistics networks to make shipping a box across the city or cross-country, easy, fast and cheap.