American Travel Sentiment Wave 112

According to the latest Longwoods International tracking study of American travelers, 31% of them plan to travel less this holiday season than last year, up 8 points from 2025 and 13 points from 2024, while 16% plan to travel more.  And 35% of travelers plan to spend less on holiday travel in 2026, up 11 points from last year, while 22% plan to spend more. 

“The early indicators for holiday travel this year are soft,” said Amir Eylon, President and CEO of Longwoods International.  “But changes in gas prices, airline fares and consumer confidence, should they occur, could improve the forecast as we get closer to the holiday travel season.” 

The percentage of American travelers with travel plans in the next six months has steadily declined over the last year, from 93% a year ago to 86% in early October.  Inflation and gas prices are cited as major impacts on their travel plans for the next six months by 35% of travelers, with those concerned about gas prices up 10 points from September.  

The survey, supported by Miles Partnership, was fielded October 6-9, 2026, using a national sample randomly drawn from a consumer panel of 1,000 adults, ages 18 and over.  Quotas were used to match Census targets for age, gender, and region to make the survey representative of the U. S. population.