67% of Americans Plan to Travel This Summer — and Many Are Using Hacks to Try to Save Big

With inflation cooling but still hot, many travelers are hunting for the best deals on flights and accommodations for summer vacation. But what strategies do they use to save money, and how effective are they?

The newest ValuePenguin survey asked 2,000 consumers which popular travel hacks they’ve used and if they’ve had any travel hacking attempts backfire. Read on for expert tips on getting the best travel deals this summer.

Key findings

Midweek flights and more: How travelers plan to save cash

The summer travel season is quickly approaching, and many Americans don’t plan to let inflation damper their plans. In fact, 67% of Americans plan to travel this summer. This is particularly true of high earners, as Americans making six figures annually are most likely to have plans this summer at 85%. In comparison, 50% of those earning less than $35,000 have summer travel plans — the lowest of any demographic.

Parents are also eager to make the most of their kids’ summer vacations. About 4 in 5 (79%) parents with kids younger than 18 have plans to travel this summer — higher than parents with adult children (64%) and consumers with no children (59%).

Additionally, younger consumers are more likely than older consumers to have summer travel plans. Millennials ages 27 to 42 are the most likely age group to have upcoming trips at 71%. That’s followed by:

Regardless of whether they have travel plans this summer, 48% of Americans travel at least once every six months. Perhaps unsurprisingly, six-figure earners are the most likely to hit the road frequently: 69% of Americans with a household income of $100,000 or more take a trip at least once every six months.

With travel on many consumers’ minds, what are travelers doing to extend their budgets? Among those who travel at least once a year, 48% shop for flights on specific days to maximize their savings. Specifically, 22% look for Tuesday flights to save cash.

Although travelers historically could save money by booking on Tuesdays because that’s when airlines generally launched new sales, a 2022 study from Expedia found that travelers save up to 15% on average by booking on Sundays.

That’s not the only travel-hacking method consumers use. Among those who travel at least once a year, 27% book flights at inconvenient times or days — a particularly popular method among travelers who don’t have children (31%). And there may be merit to this method. According to 2023 research from travel booking app Hopper, travelers who fly in the middle of the week save an average of $90 on domestic flights and more than $140 on international flights.

Additionally, nearly a quarter (24%) say they clear browser cookies to try to prevent flight prices from increasing and 18% book separate flights for different legs of travel.

Millennials and Gen Zers are especially likely to clear their browser cookies at 35% and 29%, respectively. Meanwhile, men (21%) are much more likely to book separate flights for different legs than women (14%).

45% of travelers frequently use discount sites, but are they worth it?

Some websites such as Booking.com, Kayak and Expedia are considered discount travel sites — and just less than half (45%) of travelers say they frequently book travel arrangements on them. And 37% say they’re signed up to receive alerts for travel deals.

Popularity varies by age, though. While 23% of millennials say they always book travel arrangements on discount sites, just 10% of baby boomers and Gen Xers say the same. Meanwhile, 44% of Gen Zers who rarely or never use discount travel sites say they’re not aware of them.

Of the 24% of travelers overall who rarely or never use these sites, 37% say the deals aren’t worth it. Additionally, 32% fear they would miss out on upgrade opportunities or perks and 26% say they’re inconvenient to use.

LendingTree chief credit analyst Matt Schulz says the value of these websites depends on your priorities.

"If you’re focused on looking for the lowest price, by all means turn over every stone and look everywhere you can for the cheapest options," he says.

A key downside could come via booking through third-party sites, Schulz says. Travelers may not be able to collect rewards points or get upgrades associated with the hotel chain they use. Third-party sites also need to follow rules and restrictions imposed by the airlines and hotels that travelers book with, so change and cancellation policies may vary depending on your itinerary.

Majority of travelers with rewards cards save points for big trips

Speaking of rewards, 37% of travelers have an airline preference based on their rewards card. That’s particularly true among six-figure earners (54%), those earning between $75,000 and $99,999 (47%), and parents with children younger than 18 (41%).

Those with rewards cards tend to be big savers. In fact, over half of those with a rewards card (56%) save their points to pay for bigger trips. Still, that varies by generation — 31% of Gen Z cardholders use their points as soon as they receive them, while just 9% of baby boomers say similarly. Meanwhile, baby boomers are the most likely to save for big trips (61%).

There isn’t a correct way to use points, Schulz says, who added it depends on preferences.

These travelers may be trying to build up enough points or miles to take a dream vacation that would otherwise be financially out of reach, which Schulz says can be great.

"Just remember that rewards also tend to be a depreciating asset, so there is some risk that you’ll miss out on some value if you hold on to those points for too long," he says.

36% have had a travel hacking attempt backfire

Although waking up before dawn or sprinting through the airport to make a connecting flight may be worth it to save a few hundred bucks, it doesn’t always work out. In fact, 36% of travelers say trying travel hacks backfired — which could include missing a connecting flight, losing luggage due to airline transfers and more. Of this group, 11% say it happened more than once.

Notably, men (45%) are more likely than women (28%) to have a travel hacking attempt backfire. Additionally, 56% of Gen Zers have had attempts backfire — the most of any age group. That compares with just 13% of baby boomers.

Travel hacking with a child may not always work out, either. Parents with children younger than 18 (46%) are much more likely to have money-saving attempts backfire than those with no children (38%) and those with adult children (22%).

There are a few precautions travelers can take to lessen the financial consequences of travel hacking fails, including travel insurance.

Mastering the art of travel hacking: Top expert tips

Travel hacking has the potential to transform your vacation budget. But between potentially missing your connecting flight or staying in a sketchy motel, it isn’t always easy to figure out which hacks work for you. If you’re trying to decide how to best save cash on your trips this summer, Schulz recommends the following: