How Much Does the Average Rich Person Spend on Travel?
Written by
Sean Bryant
Edited by
Amen Oyiboke
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Pinning down what the average rich person spends on travel is tricky because “rich” can mean anything from a $120,000 household income to a multimillionaire with significant investable assets.
But generally, across multiple high-end travel and payments industry sources, a pattern emerges that helps clarify how much wealthy travelers spend.
Affluent travelers take more trips and spend more per trip.
What the Numbers Say for the Rich
If you define “rich” as high-income households, one widely cited benchmark is that US households earning over $120,000 who travel spend an average of $9,060 per year on travel.
If you define affluent as households earning $200,000 or more, as Visa does, its travel insights indicate that this group has an outsized impact, accounting for as much as one in every four dollars spent on travel globally.
And if you’re talking about luxury, ultra-luxury travelers’ spending jumps from a few thousand to tens of thousands per vacation. That means a single vacation could cost as much as the average American’s annual salary.
Flywire’s survey of cash-rich travelers found that 80% of respondents plan to spend more than usual on their next vacation. Half already spend $25,000 or more per vacation.
What the Average U.S. Traveler Spends
Most Americans spend noticeably less on travel than wealthier households because they have lower incomes and tighter budgets.
Average annual income is $66,622. When accounting for outlier salaries among the ultrawealthy, that figure drops to $61,984. With the cost of living high, that leaves relatively little room for travel.
The average U.S. adult plans to spend about $1,745 on leisure travel this year, including vacations and short day trips.
What the Spend Looks Like Side-By-Side
| Traveler Type | Typical travel spend |
| Average households | $1,745 per year |
| $120,000-plus households | $9,000 per year |
| $250,000-plus income / $1 million-plus assets | $10,000 or more per year |
| Ultra-luxury vacationers | $25,000 or more per vacation |
What Rich Travelers Worry About
Even wealthy travelers don’t like feeling ripped off. Recent luxury travel reporting from Virtuoso shows a growing “value mindset,” in which travelers continue to spend large sums but want that spending to feel worthwhile.
That often means better service, more space, hyper-personalized experiences, privacy and unique access to places most travelers never see.
A trend gaining popularity is traveling within a destination like a local rather than a tourist. Instead of flashy, crowded attractions, travelers are seeking more authentic experiences, such as eating local food, immersing themselves in everyday culture, hearing personal stories, accessing lesser-known natural areas and prioritizing wellness in distinctive ways.
How Much Does the Average Rich Person Spend on Travel?
At a minimum, the average rich person spends $9,000 per year on travel.
The ultra-wealthy spend $25,000 on a single vacation, which they may take more than once a year.
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