Vacations are supposed to be relaxing. So why does planning one feel like a second job?
If you’ve ever spent hours comparing flights, agonizing over hotel reviews, or felt paralyzed by the sheer number of “must-see” attractions, you’re not alone. According to a CivicScience survey, 71% of U.S. adults who handle travel arrangements describe the process as at least “somewhat stressful.” For parents with children under 18, that number jumps to 78%.
The irony is hard to miss: the thing meant to relieve stress is itself a major stressor. Let’s unpack why.
Too Many Choices, Too Little Clarity
The internet gave us access to virtually unlimited travel options. That sounds great until you’re 47 tabs deep into hotel comparisons at midnight, no closer to booking than when you started.
Researchers at Purdue University studied this exact phenomenon in tourism. They found that when travelers are presented with more than 20 destination choices, many become so overwhelmed they struggle to choose anything at all. The term for this is “choice overload”—and it turns planning from an exciting activity into an exhausting analysis.
Every choice feels high-stakes. Flights are expensive. Hotels are non-refundable. What if there’s a better deal tomorrow? What if you pick the wrong neighborhood? The fear of making a suboptimal decision can paralyze even the most decisive people.
The Perfectionism Trap
Social media hasn’t helped. Scrolling through Instagram-perfect beach sunsets and curated travel content sets an impossibly high bar. Suddenly, planning a vacation isn’t just about having a good time—it’s about crafting an experience worthy of sharing.
This pressure to plan the “perfect” trip can overshadow the actual goal: rest and enjoyment. Every restaurant needs to be the best. Every activity needs to be unique. One mediocre meal starts to feel like a failure.
The reality? No trip is flawless. Flights get delayed. Weather changes. That highly-rated restaurant has an off night. But when we approach planning with perfectionist expectations, we set ourselves up for anxiety before we’ve even packed.
The Logistics Puzzle
Beyond the mental load, there’s the practical complexity. Planning a trip means coordinating:
- Transportation: Flights, rental cars, airport transfers, and getting around once you arrive
- Accommodations: Hotels, vacation rentals, checking in and out times
- Activities: Tours, reservations, opening hours, and physical logistics
- Documents: Passports, visas, travel insurance, vaccination records
- Schedules: Aligning time off from work, school calendars, and the availability of travel companions
Each piece has to fit together like a puzzle. Miss one detail—like a too-short layover or a closed museum on Mondays—and the whole plan can unravel. It’s no wonder that studies consistently find the planning and booking phase to be the most stressful part of vacations, even more than the travel itself.
Money Makes It Worse
Financial concerns sit at the heart of vacation stress. In Empower’s 2025 travel research, 47% of Americans said the increased cost of living is impacting their travel plans. The average expected vacation spend? Approximately $10,600.
The mental math never stops. Is this hotel worth the extra $50 per night? Should we book now or wait for prices to drop? Can we actually afford this?
Making it worse: 37% of people report feeling pressured to exceed their budget when traveling with friends for weddings, group trips, or special occasions. And 26% of Americans have gone into debt to fund vacations—a choice that adds financial stress long after the trip ends.
Even for those with healthy travel budgets, the desire to maximize value creates its own pressure. There’s a constant tension between wanting memorable experiences and not wanting to overspend.
The Coordination Challenge
Solo travel has its own complications, but group trips multiply the stress exponentially. Different people want different things. One person wants adventure; another wants to relax by the pool. Someone’s on a tight budget while others want to splurge.
Research shows that traveling with family, particularly spouses or relatives, tends to increase planning stress more than traveling with friends or alone. The closer the relationship, the more you care about making everyone happy—and the harder it becomes to satisfy competing preferences.
For many households, the planning burden falls disproportionately on one person. CivicScience found that 69% of moms handle the majority of family vacation bookings. Being the designated planner means shouldering responsibility for everyone’s experience—a recipe for anxiety.
Why This Matters
Understanding why vacation planning is stressful is the first step to addressing it. A few strategies that help:
Set boundaries on research time. Give yourself a deadline to stop comparing options. Good enough really is good enough.
Embrace imperfection. The best travel memories often come from unexpected moments, not perfectly executed plans. Leave room for spontaneity.
Divide the work. If traveling with others, assign different people to research different components. Shared responsibility reduces individual burden.
Budget honestly upfront. Decide what you can afford before you start planning, and filter options accordingly. This eliminates the stress of falling in love with trips you can’t pay for.
Consider professional help. Travel advisors and AI planning tools can absorb the research burden, presenting curated options instead of overwhelming choices.
There’s a Better Way
This is exactly why we built Autopilot Vacay. Instead of spending hours drowning in options, you tell us your preferences and budget upfront. Our AI does the heavy lifting—analyzing flights, hotels, and activities to create a personalized itinerary in seconds, not days.
No more decision paralysis. No more worrying if you got the best deal. No more spreadsheets tracking seventeen different hotel options. Just a complete trip plan built around what matters to you, at a price that works.
The research is clear: vacations are good for us. The American Psychological Association found that most workers return from vacation feeling more energized and less stressed. The benefits are real—but only if we can get past the planning hurdle.
Your next trip shouldn’t start with anxiety. Join our waitlist and let us handle the planning while you focus on the anticipation.
Sources
- CivicScience: 71% of U.S. adults find travel planning at least somewhat stressful; 78% of parents report elevated stress
- Tourism Management (Purdue University Study): Choice overload research showing travelers struggle to decide when presented with more than 20 options
- Fast Company: How choice overload affects vacation planning decisions
- Empower: 2025 travel spending trends showing 26% have gone into debt for vacations; 37% feel pressured to overspend on group trips
- Bankrate: Summer 2025 travel survey on vacation costs and debt