Americans will be moving all over the place this summer. According to a newly released study from The Vacationer, 82% of Americans plan to travel this summer. That’s more than 212 million American adults. Of those 212 million adults, 134 million Americans will be flying, and 196 million people will be taking road trips.
The data was based on a survey of 1,066 Americans over the age of 18 which was conducted in late March 2024. And even though those are staggering numbers, it’s actually forecast to be fewer Americans than were traveling last summer, which was considered one of the biggest commercial travel booms in recent history. This year, there will be 3% fewer travelers, compared to 2023, which saw 219 million Americans take to the skies and the roads.
The survey didn’t get into why fewer Americans have travel plans this summer, but we can guess a few factors might be contributing. For one, additional research has shown that many Americans are leaning on credit card debt to finance their trips as cost-of-living prices have gone up for many would-be travelers, so some Americans may be coming up against their credit limits. The slight reduction might also be a natural correction after several years of revenge travel that immediately followed the start of the pandemic and have since been eclipsed by the growth of a less frenzied trend—slow travel.
But still, even with 7 million fewer people traveling, that is still a lot who will be on the highways and waiting in security lines at the airport. That means you can expect some heavy traffic and lengthy TSA wait times. So be prepared to give yourself extra time when you’re on the move, or you’ll find yourself stuck and in a rush. If you want to make sure that you get through airport security quickly this summer make sure to check out the TSA’s top tips.
If you’re looking to avoid crowds, you might also want to take a Memorial Day or Labor Day trip instead of a Fourth of July getaway this summer. According to the survey, 30% of respondents were planning to travel for the Fourth of July, compared to just 22% of respondents heading out of town for Memorial Day and 20% planning to travel for Labor Day.
The Vacationer study also revealed that more than 40% of Americans are planning to take more than one trip this summer, and 25% of Americans plan on traveling internationally. Fortunately, for Americans who want to travel internationally who haven’t gotten their passport yet, processing times have decreased significantly since the end of 2023—but given how many people still have their sights on traveling abroad, I wouldn’t advise delaying too much.