What Does The Average American Family Spend On A Vacation?

Summer is almost over and there are many people that have already taken summer vacation, but some have not and are wondering how much to spend on a summer vacation. A viewer had submitted this questions to us and wants to know what does the average American family spend on a vacation. There are obvious some major factors that go into determining this, but there are some helpful tool and guidelines to use to help make the planning and budgeting a lot easier.

AAA puts out a ton of data each year to help travelers understand the costs of traveling, tips for smarter traveling, and tools to help people save money traveling. They offer discount programs, budget calculators, and resources to help educated people on the various options. In addition, AAA puts out an annual survey of traveling costs and shares that information with people so that they can understand how inflation and other factors are changing their vacation plans. AAA’s 2008 survey showed that the average American couple traveling in North America would spend about $250 per day for lodging and meals. Typically, people travel for 2-5 days so this would put a trip for two at about $500 - $1250. The cost do go up if there are more people involved or traveling with kids.

However, some there are some factors to consider when planning a vacation and although these costs are averaging, there are some places that are more expensive than others. The following are some things to consider and what to know about travel budgeting.

Travel Destination - Places like New York, Hawaii, and few others are certainly more expensive than cities like Vegas, Miami, and a few others. Deciding on the right location is key to making a good budget and would be the first step in determining how much to spend for lodging.
Travelers - Many accommodations can hold up to 4 people, but there are additional costs associated with traveling with large groups so the number of people traveling will be a big factor in the budget. Most averages are based on two travelers, so the numbers would multiply if the travelers doubled to 4.
Travel Dates - There are certain weekends and times of the year that are more expensive than others. Trying to avoid holiday weekends like Memorial or Labor Day will help keep costs down. Those that do decide to travel on holiday or busy weekends will have to plan for higher lodging costs, which could effect how the budget works and the vacation itself. If the dates are more than expected so staying one less day would be better for budgeting, or on the other hand if there is a good deal for a certain weekend, than maybe an extra day can be planned. It’s always good to travel when schools and colleges are in session, rather than out of session, but obviously summer vacation is when everyone is out so there is no avoiding it.
Travel Discounts - There are places that offer good discounts certain times of the year, or for certain groups like AAA. Using discounts to help travel is a great way to get more out of the trip and keep the costs low. Check for discounts on local attractions, dining, transportation, and even lodging. All of these things will help make the vacation better for budgeting and more affordable.

Some other numbers to consider come from Visa’s annual travel survey. About 25% of those that they surveyed said they will spend more than $1000 on their vacation, but no more than $2500. 20% of those surveyed spend between $500 - $1000 on a family vacation, and 10% spend between $2500 - $5000. In addition, out of those that Visa surveyed, about 15% of them don’t take or plan for a summer vacation.

Looking at these averages, it appears that the majority of people, around 45% surveyed, spend just over $1000 on a summer vacation. This is somewhat comparable to Money Magazine which surveyed travelers and found that the average American family spends about $1600 on a summer vacation. Both AAA and Money Magazine have the average vacation cost to be around $1600 and that seems to be accurate in today’s market as well. Inflation may put that up a couple of dollars over the next year or so, but that number seems to be pretty healthy at this time.