Americans splurged smarter this summer with micro-vacations and travel stacking

Labor Day weekend marks the end of the summer travel season and new data shows American households were conscious of finding ways to save money even as they forged ahead with travel and entertainment plans this summer. Bank of America's summer travel survey found that consumers' desire to travel remained strong and that people have been focused on getting the most value out of their trip.

"People aren't cutting travel out. Instead, they're being intentional about where the money goes," Mary Hines Droesch, head of consumer and small business products and analytics at Bank of America, told FOX Business. "They'll splurge on the one thing that makes a trip memorable, whether that's a great meal, a well-located hotel, or a unique experience and then scale back elsewhere, like a more affordable flight or skipping premium add-ons, without feeling like they gave up what mattered," Droesch said.

Americans stuck with travel plans this summer, though some looked to shorten their trips or "travel stack" vacations on top of other trips to save, Bank of America found.

Droesch noted that the Bank of America data showed that shorter "micro-vacations" have given travelers "a reset without the price tag of a longer getaway," and that about one in five members of Gen Z planned shorter trips this year than in past years. Additionally, over half of Americans "planned to stay closer to home, crossing state lines rather than booking a costlier long-haul flight," she added. Consumers have also engaged in "travel stacking," which Droesch said is "extending a trip already planned around a concert, wedding, or sporting event rather than paying for a separate vacation later." The firm found that nearly one-third of Americans traveling to live events opted to extend the trip to spend more time exploring their destination.

"Rising costs, particularly gas prices, are having a mixed impact this summer. About 23% of survey respondents planned to reduce the number of trips they take, while 31% said fuel costs had no impact on their plans at all. Rather than skip travel entirely, 22% said they planned to cut back on accommodations to offset higher gas prices," Droesch said. About one in four Americans, or 22%, who were traveling this summer said they are scaling back their spending on their lodging accommodations and food to offset their fuel costs, the firm's research revealed. Among consumers who aren't traveling, the top reasons cited for staying home are that they can't afford to travel right now (56%), are holding off on big purchases amid economic uncertainty (25%) and don't like traveling (20%).

Bank of America found that 61% of Americans were willing to make some sort of financial trade-off to afford to travel to a live entertainment event, such as cutting back on dining out (26%), taking on extra work or a side hustle (18%) and using credit cards (18%). About half of consumers (46%) said they plan to redeem financial rewards this summer – such as credit card rewards, banking loyalty program offers and similar rewards. Members of Gen Z are the most likely to do so, at 80%, compared with 60% among millennials, 35% of Gen X and 19% of baby boomers.