In the post-pandemic era, vacations have become one of the most precious commodities for many Americans �C and for travelers globally.

They are a treat we give ourselves each year, a treasured respite from our day-to-day existence and the stress we navigate. And because vacations are so important to our overall health and well-being, we're unwilling to give them up, even when the economy gets rocky.

"Vacations have never been more precious or more closely held to people's hearts," Gemma Jamieson, spokesperson, for the travel search and booking engine Skycanner, told TravelPulse during an interview this week.

"They may be the most special thing we buy of the year," Jamieson added.

These comments come on the heels of Skyscanner's latest travel trends report, which reveals that Americans are rethinking their summer 2025 getaways from top to bottom in order to make their dollars go further.

Titled "2025 Smarter Summer Report," the new data from Skyscanner shows that 84 percent of Americans intend to alter their summer vacation plans to get the most out of their spending, including changing the day or the week of a planned getaway in order to stretch their dollars.

Specifically, the data, which is based on research conducted in March 2025 with 2000 US respondents, shows that:

• 32 percent of Americans are planning to travel on less popular days (e.g., midweek) to save money on summer travel
• 40 percent of Americans are planning to travel on a less popular week to get better prices on travel this summer
  
  

In line with this, the Skyscanner survey also found that 52 percent of American travelers are generally looking to make smarter choices in order to reduce travel costs.

Moreover, 88 percent of American travelers want to maximize every element of their vacations this summer. Translation: Beyond just ensuring that their money goes further, American travelers want to make smarter travel choices in order to extend the duration of summer vacations and they also want to be able to explore more destinations.

"We're seeing across the board that pennies are pinched and people are being mindful of where they spend their money," Jamieson continued. "They want to absolutely get the most out of their money."

As American travelers seek to meet that goal, they're considering all options, including new vacation locations. According to Skyscanner data, 43 percent of Americans are exploring destinations this summer that have not previously been on their radar.

One additional, noteworthy observation from Skyscanner: American travelers aren't the only ones feeling the pinch this summer.

"It's not a situation Americans are experiencing in a vacuum," Jamieson explained. "There's a lot of economic uncertainty around the world. Everyone is concerned. I think post-pandemic, people are just so aware of where every dollar and every penny goes. Everything is more precious."

Family having fun on summer vacation. (Photo Credit: Sunny studio / Adobe Stock)

Travel Hacks to Help Summer Vacation Dollars Go Further

With these words of wisdom as the backdrop, Skyscanner offers a trove of summer travel data and hacks to help travelers stretch their money for the season ahead. So get your pencils out and get ready to take notes.

Key dates and travel hacks:

• The cheapest day for Americans to travel this summer will be Wednesdays when the average airfare is $878.
• The cheapest week to travel this summer will be August 25 �C 31, during which the average international airfare will cost about $763.

To identify the cheapest week of the summer to travel in 2025, Skyscanner analyzed its flight search activity from?January 1 to?March 31, 2025, covering outbound travel dates from June 30 to August?31, 2025, broken down by week.

The report also reveals the 10 least expensive destinations in the U.S. this summer based on the cost of a round-trip, economy airfare ticket for flights taking place between June 30 and August 31. The top budget-friendly summer destinations include:

1. Wilmington, NC
2. Hilo, HI
3. Atlanta, GA
4. Myrtle Beach, SC
5. New Orleans, LA
6. Cincinnati, OH
7. Asheville, NC
8. Tampa, FL
9. Denver, CO
10. Fort Lauderdale, FL

?

Finally, one more helpful gem from Skyscanner for those who have not yet booked their summer getaway. And it seems there are plenty of people in this camp. Skyscanner's survey found that nearly two-thirds or 64 percent of Americans have yet to book their summer vacation, with 39 percent actively looking and 25 percent who have not even started planning. Yikes.

In case you'd still like to get a vacation on the books, here are the most popular destinations globally this summer �� and the cheapest week to visit each location:

1. Tokyo, Japan: August 18-24; $613
2. London, England: August 18-24; $551
3. New York, USA: August 18-24; $193
4. Rome, Italy: August 25 �C 31; $594
5. Los Angeles, USA: August 18-24; $165
6. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: August 4-10; $922
7. Honolulu, USA: August 4-10; $341
8. Las Vegas, USA: June 30 �C July 6; $163
9. Tirana, Albania: August 25-31; $602
10. San Francisco, USA: August 25-31; $139

?

---

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.

Topics From This Article to Explore