American vacation plans are being pared back as rising costs and surging fuel prices squeeze travel budgets. Though the number of Americans making summer plans has risen to 73 percent, up from 66 percent last year, according to a survey by transportation company Enterprise Mobility, 89 percent are choosing to stay within the U.S. According to travel adviser Erica Christie, who spoke to Axios, travelers are shifting toward shorter trips to the Carolinas, New England, and California. Trips to Asheville, North Carolina, have surged 174 percent, while travel to South Carolina is up 157 percent, according to the global travel agency Fora. If travelers can afford to head to Europe, they are increasingly swapping popular destinations such as the Amalfi Coast for more affordable and lesser-known alternatives like Montenegro and Malta. For city breaks, expensive hotspots like Paris, Rome, and London are being replaced with cheaper alternatives such as Brussels and Dublin, according to Christie. Rising oil prices, driven by the continued blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, have left airlines worldwide scrambling to stay afloat, with travelers often facing higher ticket prices and increased baggage fees. “People are very hesitant to make long-term bookings,” Virginia Tech hospitality and tourism professor Mahmood Khan told Axios.
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