According to Vacasa’s 2024 “Summer Travel Trends” report, travelers will be taking multiple trips (five, on average, throughout the summer), most will be staying stateside (89 percent), and their sights are set on lake and beach destinations (accounting for 63 percent of all summer travel).
Vacasa teamed up with marketing agency Allison to see where Americans are heading this summer, what’s motivating their vacation plans and how much they’ve budgeted for their trips. Allison surveyed 1,000 individuals over the age of 18 in the United States. The survey was fielded using the Forsta HX platform and the panel was sourced from Lucid Marketplace. Fielding was executed in April 2024.
Given the current economic conditions, 81 percent of summer travelers have shifted their plans or planning behaviors to be more budget-conscious. Vacasa reviewed search and booking data to see what traditional summer hot spots are still budget-friendly through Labor Day. Destinations like Panama City Beach, Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head, all offer warm-weather experiences for summer travelers and have average daily rates below $250 per night. Travelers additionally say they are choosing to stay in a vacation rental because they offer the best value for money (66 percent), provide access to private amenities (57 percent) and better location options than other accommodations (43 percent).
Here’s a look at some the travel trends expected to be popular this summer:
- Nearly half of Americans are taking a summer vacation this year (49 percent), with 56 percent planning to travel more often than they did last summer.
- Stateside vacations are a popular choice for this season’s travelers, with most Americans choosing to stay domestic this summer (89 percent).
- On average, summer travelers will be taking five trips throughout the season—most often including weekend and extended weekend getaways (90 percent) and week-long trips (67 percent), and some extending even further into multi-week vacations or longer (36 percent).
- A rising summer trend, vacation rentals remain a popular option for summer travelers, with 42 percent choosing to book a stay in a vacation rental over other accommodation options (up from 38 percent in 2023 and 32 percent in 2022).
- Summer holiday travel will be big this year, with 72 percent of travelers planning to travel during the holiday weekends. The Fourth of July (43 percent) will continue to be a top summer holiday that Americans plan to travel for.
- Travelers are seeking to soak up the sun next to a body of water (63 percent), with most travelers heading to the beach (50 percent).
- Road trips will continue this warm weather season, with more than three-quarters traveling by car, RV or camper van to their destination (77 percent), especially those Gen X and older (82 percent), while 41 percent of summer travelers will catch a flight.
- More than a third of summer travelers want to build onto vacation memories from previous years by traveling to repeat destinations (34 percent), with parents of older children (age 18 or older) especially likely to do so (40 percent).
- Gen Z and Millennials are major contributors to the summer travel scene, with 58 percent taking trips this season compared to 41 percent of those Gen X and older.
For more information, visit www.vacasa.com.
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