Tighter budgets haven’t stopped travel. They’ve changed how Americans plan

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The flight search is open, but many travelers are pausing before they book. Prices feel higher than last year, headlines are heavy and budgets are tighter. Still, the question isn’t whether to take a vacation but how to make it work.

A November 2025 survey from ALG Vacations of U.S. adults planning to travel in 2026shows that financial pressure is reshaping how people approach vacations, not whether they take them. While 81% say they have at least some concern about their household finances in the months ahead, 92% say they would still travel even if tighter finances required scaling back.

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Financial pressure shapes decisions, not demand

That shift shows up in the small moments of planning. Travelers are taking longer to compare prices, reconsidering timing and adjusting expectations before they book.

Inflation and rising prices top the list of concerns, cited by 61% of respondents, reinforcing why travelers are rethinking destinations, trip length and overall costs.

Concerns about global events and safety follow at 39%, with broader political and economic instability close behind at 38%.

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Still, those worries rarely lead travelers to walk away from travel altogether. Instead, many describe pulling back in measured ways, scaling down plans, rethinking details and making trade-offs that keep a trip possible, even if it looks different than originally imagined.

Experience changes how travelers move from planning to booking

Not all travelers navigate those trade-offs the same way. For some, uncertainty slows the process. For others, familiarity helps clear the final hurdle.

Among respondents who have previously booked a packaged vacation through a major vacation brand, 80% say they plan to take an international trip in the next year, compared with 46% of those without that experience.

That confidence carries into spending decisions as well. Sixty-seven percent of packaged-vacation travelers expect to spend more than $2,500 on their next trip, compared with 47% of those who have never booked a packaged vacation.

Taken together, the findings point to a confidence gap, with prior experience linked to greater comfort committing to international travel and higher spending.

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Professional guidance plays a larger role when planning gets complex

For many travelers, planning no longer stops at picking dates and destinations. Rising prices, shifting availability and higher expectations have turned vacation planning into a series of decisions that feel harder to navigate alone.

That complexity shows up most clearly among travelers with prior packaged vacation experience. Ninety-four percent say they plan to use a travel advisor, compared with 81% of those without prior packaged-vacation experience.

The gap suggests that familiarity with structured travel planning often leads travelers to seek expert guidance. As trips become more layered, getting the details right matters as much as the destination itself.

Travel remains a priority, even as decisions slow

The findings suggest that travel is still very much on the table, even as decisions take longer to make. Travelers are weighing trade-offs, seeking guidance and leaning on experience as they plan, rather than walking away altogether.

The flight search may stay open a little longer this year. But for many Americans, the trip is still happening.

Methodology

ALG Vacations commissioned Atomik Research to conduct an online survey of U.S. adults planning to travel and travelers with prior packaged-vacation experience in the United States.

The survey included 1,000 adults planning to travel and a subsample of 502 respondents who had previously booked a packaged vacation through a major vacation brand.

The margin of error is plus or minus 3 percentage points for the full sample and 4 percentage points for the packaged vacation subsample at a 95% confidence level.

Fieldwork was conducted in November 2025. Atomik Research, part of 4media group, is a creative market research agency.

This story was produced by ALG Vacations and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.