Most U.S. Travelers Can’t Afford Their Dream Vacation: Skift Research

In a survey by Skift Research, 43% of U.S. travelers said their dream vacation was as financially challenging to achieve as in 2019.

Another 19% said their dream trip was not affordable and that they were reconsidering their plans. 

Skift Research surveyed 1,001 Americans who had taken at least one long-distance, overnight trip in late 2023.

Inflation as a Factor

Higher travel prices may partly account for why some Americans consider their ideal getaways to be out of reach.

Once a quarter last year, Skift Research surveyed about 1,000 travelers at a time to ask them: “Are your vacation plans for 2023 impacted by higher travel prices?”

The answers each quarter of 2023 were broadly consistent. Roughly two-thirds of travelers felt inflation was impacting their trip plans.

Skift Research’s quarterly U.S. Travel Tracker surveys are fielded online by a trusted third-party consumer panel provider.