The Summer Travel Season Is Over. Here's What Record-High Prices Actually Did To Bookings

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As peak summer travel season winds down, new data confirms that record-high trip costs never slowed down bookings. Squaremouth surveyed more than 7,600 customers last month and found that travel costs rose to the level that travelers flagged as their limit, but bookings kept climbing.

Where Travelers Said They'd Draw the Line on Price

When asked in the survey how much prices would need to rise before they'd reconsider, travelers identified a clear price threshold:

• Nearly four in ten (39.1%) said a cost increase of 10% to 25% would force them to reconsider.
• Another 7.5% said an increase of less than 10% would do it.

At an average of $9,032, summer trip costs grew 17.4% over last year, reaching the level travelers said would give them pause. Yet, at the time of this release, insured summer trips are up 18.3% year-over-year.

What Travelers Did Instead of Canceling

• 10.2% traveled closer to home.
• 9.7% purchased more travel insurance coverage than usual.
• 7.7% chose a less expensive destination.
• 6.2% postponed a trip.
• 4.2% shortened a trip, and 3.6% downgraded accommodations.
• Only 3.0% canceled a trip entirely, while 55.4% made no change to their plans at all.

"Travel isn't the first thing people cut from their budgets anymore," says Chrissy Valdez, Senior Director of Operations at Squaremouth. "While we know that travelers are sensitive to price increases, the record trip costs we've seen still aren't enough to force them to cancel. Rather, they're finding ways to alter and better protect their trips."

To compare travel insurance plans for your trip, visit Squaremouth.com.

For more on rising trip costs and how travelers are adapting, see Squaremouth's Q2 2026 Travel Insurance Trends Report.

About Squaremouth

For over 20 years, Squaremouth has helped more than 4.6 million travelers quote, compare, and purchase travel insurance online. Renowned for its award-winning customer service, commitment to transparency, and unbiased approach, Squaremouth has been a leader in travel insurance comparison since 2003. As America's largest travel insurance marketplace, Squaremouth.com features more providers and plans than any other platform.

Contact

Lauren McCormick

Manager, Public Relations

media@squaremouth.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-summer-travel-season-is-over-heres-what-record-high-prices-actually-did-to-bookings-302859193.html

SOURCE Squaremouth