Cost Concerns Keep Many in NJ From Traveling This Summer

We're officially past Memorial Day, and the summer season is now underway. From Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, New Jerseyans will be hitting the road and looking for that new adventure.

Or, will they? Despite the summer season being big for travel, there's a trend happening this year that, in all honestly, is pretty alarming. It may not, however, be that apparent on the surface.

Summer travel

Let's start with the national trends, which, yes, includes New Jersey. And again, when looking at this stat, it may seem like a positive on the surface.

According to a survey from Bankrate, 46% are looking to travel this upcoming summer. So close to half of all Americans will either be hitting the roads or catching a plane to enjoy some quality time this summer season.

That may seem like a positive, but it really isn't when compared to numbers from 2024. That 46% is a drop from just a year ago.

Holding back

A separate survey from Bank of America last year stated that around 70% of Americans were planning to travel. Think about that for a moment. That's a 24% drop in just a single year, a fairly large drop from year over year.

As for the reason? Well, it's unfortunately pretty straight-forward why. It has to do with fears over affordability.

According to the 2025 Bankrate survey, 65% of those who weren't traveling cited affordability as the primary reason. As for those who are traveling, around 29% are just expecting to pile on the debt so they can travel this summer.

New Jersey trends

Although these are national trends, it doesn't mean New Jersey will suffer as a result. Yes, we're a part of those numbers, but the traffic over the Memorial Day weekend heading down the Shore is a hopeful sign that we'll be OK.

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Still, with so much uncertainty surrounding the 2025 summer season, it's understandable why so many are pulling back. Hopefully, New Jersey tourism will prove to be strong as we continue to head into the summer travel season.

The above post reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 Sunday morning host & content contributor Mike Brant. Any opinions expressed are his own.