Summer vacations: prices for gasoline and air travel each up more than 20 percent over the year

With summer just around the corner, many people may be looking forward to a trip to the beach, the city, or another favorite locale. Let’s look at how prices for some common vacation essentials have changed from April 2025 to April 2026.

Trips require traveling away from home, whether for a day, a week, or longer. For those traveling by car, gasoline prices increased 28.4 percent over the year and prices for parking fees and tolls rose 2.9 percent. Flying instead? Airline fares climbed 20.7 percent.

Sampling the cuisine along the way and at the destination can be a vacation highlight. From April 2025 to April 2026, prices for full service meals and snacks rose 3.8 percent and prices for limited service meals and snacks rose 3.2 percent. Looking for a late-night snack from a vending machine or an ice cream cone on the beach? Prices for food from vending machines and mobile vendors increased 2.0 percent over the year.

Relaxation and fun are often the main part of the trip! Recreational books prices decreased 6.5 percent, while prices for attending movies, theaters, and concerts were up 5.5 percent. And tunes are a vacation must-have, right? Prices for recorded music and music subscriptions rose 5.8 percent over the year ended April 2026.

These data are from the Consumer Price Index program and are not seasonally adjusted. To learn more, see "Consumer Price Index — April 2026." Also see these charts of consumer prices data.