Cost of living impacting Golden Week travel plans

Do you plan trips during Golden Week? My family and I typically use it as a chance to rest and recharge, and maybe do a few things locally rather than going on big getaways—partially that's driven by not wanting to tackle crowded trains or expressways, but it's also a money saving thing, too.

The folks at JTB compiled a forecast of travel trends for people planning to do overnight stays during the Golden Week period, and for domestic travel they found that the number of travelers was declining slightly due to rising prices, household financial circumstances, and a desire to steer clear of jam-packed destinations -- so, fairly in line with my own feelings! The number of people traveling was also declining in all age brackets surveyed, so it's not just one age group who is traveling less.

The idea of Golden Week travel is not something that appeals to me, for several reasons—and I'm not the only one, it seems!

For those who are planning to travel, their average travel expenses were rising compared to previous years, but that's also because of rising prices in a lot of cases.

Will you be going anywhere over the Golden Week break, or are you looking forward to it as an opportunity to rest and relax in your local area?