BIXBY, Okla. — More than half of Americans plan to spend less on summer travel this year, trimming their budgets by an average of 23%, according to a Talker Research study.
A Deloitte survey found fewer than half of Americans plan to travel for vacation this summer, the lowest number in six years, with staycations on the rise.
RetailMeNot’s survey found the pullback extends beyond travel.
“93% say that they plan to cut back on summer spending in some way,” Stephanie Carls said.
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For some families, that means skipping hotels and staying with relatives instead. Paige Thomas told 2 News Oklahoma that her family will be doing that when they visit Colorado later this summer.
She’s looking for activities around Tulsa County that are low or no-cost to maintain summer fun on a budget. She brought her daughter, Mary Claire, to Bixby’s new Bentley Splash Pad.
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“We are in Tulsa for a good amount of the summer, trying out the splash pads with the zoo, the aquarium. Where else have we gone? This new sand patch, have you heard about it? It’s really cute,” Thomas said.
Other strategies families are using include packing a picnic instead of dining out, whether it is a day trip or a road trip. Also, taking several short, less expensive road trips rather than one large, costly vacation. Families are also cutting back on putting trips on credit cards unless they can be paid off at the end of the billing cycle to avoid paying interest.
Carls said the data shows people are being more deliberate before opening their wallets.
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“The big takeaway from our summer data is that people still want summer to feel like summer, but they still want that math to make sense,” Carls said.
“People are asking those harder questions before they spend. So, is it worth the money? Can we do it closer to home, or could we use a sale, a promo code, or cashback to help bring that cost down? So, that’s really the summer spending story this year,” Carls said.
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