Hertz Information Reveals Road Trips Will Dominate Fall Travel as Millennials Gasoline the Development –

Road journeys outpace air journey this season as new survey and reserving information reveal the place and when America is touring

ESTERO, Fla. – August 19, 2026 – Fall journey is shaping as much as be a season of the open street. New survey information from Hertz reveals almost half of U.S. adults (46%) plan to journey this fall, with street journeys considerably outpacing air journey.

Nearly 60% of vacationers plan to drive to their vacation spot, in contrast with simply 28% whose journey requires a home flight. Millennials are main the pattern, proving almost 4 occasions extra possible than Baby Boomers to make use of a rental automobile as their main mode of transportation this fall, and mixed rental automobile utilization amongst Gen Z and Millennials far outpaces Boomers – an indication that these generations are selecting the flexibleness of a rental over inflexible flight itineraries.

More key tendencies shaping journey plans this season:

• Travelers Want Value Without Giving Up Experiences. Americans are balancing budgets with memory-making this fall. Nearly one-third (31%) say they’re looking for budget-friendly getaways, whereas an an identical share (31%) is keen to spend extra on memorable experiences – suggesting vacationers are rigorously weighing worth towards journey slightly than defaulting to the most cost effective possibility.
• Millennials and Gen Z are Driving the Experience Economy. Millennials are the technology almost certainly to say they’re keen to spend extra on memorable experiences (33%), adopted carefully by Gen Z (32%) – collectively prioritizing significant moments over merely discovering the bottom value.
• Gen Z is Rewriting the Rules of Travel Planning. While older vacationers usually tend to embrace free plans and determine issues out as they go, Gen Z stands out for taking a extra structured strategy. More than one-quarter (26%) choose a completely deliberate itinerary, and 34% are planning journey sooner than in prior years, suggesting youthful vacationers are prioritizing preparation, worth and availability.
• City Escapes, Beach Getaways and Small-Town Charm Top the List. Major cities rank as the most well-liked vacation spot kind (39%), adopted by seaside locations (27%) and small cities (25%), highlighting vacationers’ need for each power and rest. Mountain locations, nationwide parks and rural countryside escapes additionally stay well-liked decisions.
• The Southeast Emerges as Fall’s Most Popular Region. More than one-quarter of vacationers (28%) plan to go to the Southeast this fall, making it the season’s hottest area. The mixture of seashores, vibrant cities, heat climate and faculty soccer continues to attract vacationers.
• Fall Foliage Travel Is Building Momentum. Hertz reserving tendencies present early demand constructing in Boston, Portland and Hartford, whereas locations throughout New England and the Western Mountain area are experiencing double-digit year-over-year development. The week of October 5 is at the moment exhibiting the strongest demand construct for fall journey.

Labor Day Travel by the Numbers
Labor Day stays one of many busiest journey weekends of the 12 months. Hertz reserving tendencies present:

• September 4 is predicted to be the busiest automobile pickup date main into Labor Day weekend.
• SUVs and minivans stay the most well-liked automobile classes, reflecting continued demand for household and group journey.
• Top Labor Day locations based mostly on demand embrace Orlando, Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Boston.
• Seattle broke into the highest ten locations this 12 months, whereas Las Vegas, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Portland (Ore.) and San Diego are experiencing the strongest development in demand in contrast with Labor Day journey final 12 months.

Smart Moves for Fall Travel
With demand constructing all through the season, Hertz recommends just a few easy methods vacationers can profit from fall journey:

• Match Your Vehicle to Your Adventure. Whether you’re leaf peeping or exploring mountain roads, select a automobile that makes the journey memorable. Hertz provides choices like a Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Wagoneer, Ford Bronco and INEOS Grenadier, combining standout fashion and loads of room for passengers and equipment.

• Let AI Help Plan Your Trip. Travelers on the lookout for steerage can use the brand new Hertz plugin in ChatGPT to match automobile choices, discover out there companies and obtain customized suggestions based mostly on their journey plans earlier than seamlessly reserving on Hertz.com.

• Take Advantage of Shoulder-Season Savings. Hertz’s September Flash Sale provides 20% off most automobile lessons for bookings made September 7–13, with pickups by way of December 15 – serving to vacationers plan every thing from foliage street journeys to vacation getaways.*

The Hertz fall journey launch combines Hertz inside reserving information with a Morning Consult survey of two,001 U.S. adults performed August 11-13, 2026.
*Discount applies to Pay Later base price solely. Additional phrases & exclusions apply.

About Hertz
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. is among the world’s main automobile rental and mobility options suppliers. Its subsidiaries, together with The Hertz Corporation, and licensees function the Hertz, Dollar, Thrifty, and Firefly automobile rental manufacturers, with roughly 11,000 rental areas in 160 international locations across the globe. The Company additionally operates the Hertz Car Sales model, which provides a variety of high quality, competitively priced used vehicles on the market on-line and at areas throughout the United States, and the Hertz 24/7 car-sharing enterprise in Europe. The Company’s working affiliate, Oro Mobility, offers built-in driver-led and autonomous fleet administration options throughout a variety of mobility segments. For extra details about Hertz, go to www.hertz.com.