For Americans, summer is a popular time to travel. But how much exactly are people spending on their getaways? The minds over at the website ValuePenguin looked into that very question and found the average cost of a vacation for what they consider to be the average American.
For a domestic trip, ValuePenguin budgeted $581 for a four-night domestic journey. The bulk of that sum went to transportation ($224), followed by food and alcohol ($155), lodging ($150), and entertainment ($52). Numbers dramatically increased for international travel, for which ValuePenguin budgeted $3,251 for a 12-night trip abroad. $1,755 on transportation; $683 on lodging; $520 on food and alcohol; and $293 on entertainment.
The study was also quick to point out that Americans are traveling less than in previous years, a fact which can likely be blamed on fluctuations in the economy. Commenters on the ValuePenguin study pointed out that these numbers seem low, and they very well might be for some people. For others though these numbers are quite aspirational; and obviously vacation is not an option at all for many. Perhaps what these number better not is wealth discrepancy. When it comes to travel, America is very much a tale of two countries.