2026 Invisible Sun Summer Travel Index
America’s travel restrooms, measured.
We surveyed 788 U.S. consumers in May and June 2026, as AAA projected a record 72 million Americans would travel over Fourth of July week. What they told us connects restroom condition to where travelers stop, eat and spend.
- Will leave an unacceptable restroom without using it
- 72%Will leave an unacceptable restroom without using itNearly three out of four summer travelers
- Avoid restaurants at hubs with dirty restrooms
- 79%Avoid restaurants at hubs with dirty restroomsAirports, highway rest stops and train stations
- More likely to call highway rest stop restrooms unacceptable
- 3.2×More likely to call highway rest stop restrooms unacceptableCompared with airport restrooms
- U.S. consumers surveyed
- 788U.S. consumers surveyedMay and June 2026 · ±5% margin of error at 95% confidence
The trigger
What makes a traveler walk out.
Nearly three out of four summer travelers (72%) will leave a restroom without using it if they find it unacceptable. Asked what makes a restroom unacceptable, consumers ranked a dirty toilet area first, followed by dirty floors and foul odors.
The result is a lost visit that rarely shows up in a service report. A traveler who walks out has not complained, has not been counted, and is unlikely to return to that stop.
Ranked unacceptable
- 1A dirty toilet area75%
- 2Dirty floors64%
- 3Foul odors55%
Share of surveyed consumers naming each condition, from the 2026 Invisible Sun Summer Travel Index.
The revenue at risk
Where the money moves when the restroom does not hold up.
Nearly eight out of 10 (79%) consumers avoid eating in restaurants at airports, highway rest stops or train stations with dirty restrooms. For transportation hubs, that decision lands directly on food and beverage revenue.
Share of non-aeronautical airport revenue from food and beverage concessions
2025 Industry Research Market Research Report
U.S. airport food and beverage market
2025 Industry Research Market Research Report
Summer travelers planning to drive to their destination
2026 Invisible Sun Summer Travel Index
The consistency gap
Highway rest stops fare worst, and the rankings contradict each other.
More than half (53%) of those surveyed plan to drive to their summer destination. Restrooms in highway rest stops are the least acceptable to summer travelers: they are more than three times (3.2x) as likely to view them as unacceptable versus airport restrooms, and nearly three times as likely (2.7x) versus train station restrooms.
More likely to view highway rest stop restrooms as unacceptable than airport restrooms
More likely to view them as unacceptable than train station restrooms
Cleanest highway rest stop restrooms
- 1Florida Turnpike
- 2I-95
- 3Garden State Parkway
Dirtiest highway rest stop restrooms
- 1Florida Turnpike
- 2Garden State Parkway
- 3New Jersey Turnpike
Favorite convenience store restrooms
- 1Buc-ees
- 27-11
- 3Quick Trip and Wawa (tie)
The Florida Turnpike appears at the top of both lists. Travelers do not lose confidence because a restroom is always dirty. They lose confidence because they never know what they will encounter.
This contradiction reveals an important insight: Travelers do not lose confidence because a restroom is always dirty. They lose confidence because they never know what they will encounter. When restroom cleanliness is inconsistent, customers are less willing to stop, dine or shop because they cannot trust the experience. The problem is not the location. It is inconsistent cleaning. Every time a traveler walks into an unacceptable restroom, operators risk losing not just that purchase, but future visits as well. Consistent restroom standards protect customer confidence, and customer confidence drives revenue.
Methodology
How the index was built.
2026 Invisible Sun Summer Restroom Survey: The 2026 Invisible Sun Summer Travel Index surveyed 788 U.S. consumers in May and June 2026. Results are statistically significant with a ±5% margin of error at a 95% confidence level.
Prior research cited in the release includes the 2026 Healthy Handwashing Survey by Bradley Company, in which six out of 10 consumers said they would spend more at a business known for clean restrooms, with 71% more likely to return and spend more after a positive restroom experience.
See how this applies to transportation facilitiesConsistency is a facility outcome, not a location problem.
Invisible Sun connects occupancy-driven cleaning, hands-free Proof of Presence and AI Inspections so every restroom is serviced, verified and measured.