If you’ve been quietly trimming the budget elsewhere so the travel fund stays untouched, you’re in very good company. New research from Skyscanner has found that nearly 8 in 10 Australians (77 per cent) are willing to cut back on at least one everyday expense to keep travel within reach, and most of us have made peace with that trade-off entirely.

We’re not giving up travel. We’re just getting smarter about it

The research, conducted with OnePoll among 2,000 Australians, paints a picture of a nation becoming genuinely tactical about how it travels, rather than giving it up under financial pressure. Seven in 10 Australians (70 per cent) agree travel is worth the financial sacrifice, and half of us (50 per cent) say we feel no guilt at all about spending money on a trip.

Rather than skipping holidays altogether, Australians are making calculated compromises to keep travelling within budget:

45 per cent would shorten a trip’s length to bring the cost down

39 per cent stay flexible on travel dates, and 35 per cent on flight convenience

28 per cent have cut spending once they’re actually away

27 per cent have swapped an overseas holiday for a domestic one to manage costs

A striking 94 per cent say they stay flexible when booking to get a better price, whether that’s booking ahead, travelling off-peak, or waiting out a deal

Getting genuine value for money now ranks as one of the single most important factors when booking a trip, cited by 57 per cent of Australians.

Skyscanner Travel Expert Jarrod Kris said the research points to a genuine shift in how much value Australians place on travel, and how much smarter they’ve become about protecting it. He noted the behaviour has moved well beyond simply trimming everyday extras to save – Australians are now actively comparing prices, choosing more affordable travel periods, and staying flexible on both dates and destinations to make their travel budget stretch further.

Why we’re doing it

Nearly half of Australians (45 per cent) say they regularly feel the need to break from routine, and travel remains one of the clearest ways to do that. Half of us (50 per cent) say travel matters more now than it did just a few years ago, and a full 88 per cent believe it genuinely contributes to their overall wellbeing. Given how strongly wellbeing and routine feature in that data, it’s little wonder travel keeps holding its place in the household budget, even when everything else is being watched closely.

Where the value actually is right now

For anyone weighing up their next trip, Skyscanner’s current search data shows some genuinely useful pricing trends for the September to November travel window. Among the most searched destinations, several are currently running well below their average seat price:

Denpasar, Indonesia is costing around $535, which is 9 per cent below the average price

Tokyo, Japan is averaging $920, about 20% below normal prices

London, United Kingdom is sitting at $1,385, about  24 per cent below normal prices.

Whatever your next trip looks like, the message from this research is clear: Australians aren’t giving up on travel under financial pressure. We’re simply getting better at making it work. To book your next trip contact that amazing team at Travel at 60.