The State of the American Traveler in March 2025

Americans are sticking with their high volume of travel plans for now, but their worries about the future appear to be deepening. Indeed, the summer travel season outlook looks promising with over a quarter of American travelers having existing trip plans for those months; however, controlling costs weighs heavy.  Meanwhile, a record-high 48.2% of American travelers say they are likely to travel abroad in the next 12 months.

Current Financial and Travel Sentiment Remains Positive—Future Less Certain

American travelers' assessment of their financial wellness has improved, with 32.7% feeling better off now compared to a year ago—up 3.5 points from last month and at a 4-month high. Confidence in spending on leisure travel also improved, with 36.7% feeling right now is a good time (amongst the highest this metric has reached in the past two years) and 59.5% saying they are prioritizing travel in their budgets, a 5-month high. Not only do 92.3% of American travelers have existing trip plans, but the average number of leisure trips they have planned over the next year reached a 5-year high of 4.0 trips. Expected annual travel budgets also bounced back from last month, reaching a near-high of $5,858. Nearly 90% of travelers have higher levels of excitement for travel in the next year. However, in spite of all this current enthusiasm, Americans are exhibiting notable concerns about the future. Recession fears are growing, with 41.9% now expecting a recession in the next six months, the highest this has been in a year. While 46.2% now expect their financial situation to improve in the next year, this represents a 5.5-point drop since last month and a 9-year-low.

International Travel Intentions Reach a Record

This month, a record-high 48.2% of American travelers say they are likely or very likely to travel abroad in the next 12 months, outweighing the 43.1% who say they are unlikely, and up 8-points from last month and nearly 17-points above one-year ago.  International travel intentions are largely driven by age (61.9% of Gen Z say they are heading on an international trip vs. 42.4% of Boomers), income (74.1% of those with a household income above $200K will travel internationally) and, to some degree, geography (53.7% of those residing in the Western U.S. will take an international trip vs. 38.1% of those who live in the Midwest). The most popular international destinations Americans have on their minds include Italy, Canada, Mexico, Japan and the United Kingdom. Interestingly, Canada has inched up in Americans’ travel aspirations, replacing the U.K. in the #2 spot behind Italy.

The Summer Travel Outlook and Implications for Marketing

The summer travel season looks promising, with 26.0% of travelers reporting trips planned for June, 24.4% for July, and 22.0% for August.  Summer travelers skew towards those who are employed full-time, higher annual household incomes (average is $126K) and those with children in their household. When asked what they are prioritizing for their summer trips, costs and saving money loom, as more than a third say they will be seeking budget-friendly destinations and accommodations, as well as redeeming travel rewards.  Food, history and international travel top summer travelers’ passions.

Although planning windows for a 1-week domestic vacation have now dropped to 11-weeks from ~12 weeks out throughout 2024, with one-third of American travelers planning 13 or more weeks out, these travelers are very likely actively planning their summer trips. In fact, 84.4% of American travelers report some travel dreaming or planning in the last week alone, with 42.5% researching travel ideas online, 25.8% seeing a place they want to visit on social media, and 20.0% making travel reservations. When it comes to the ideal place for them to receive travel marketing, while TikTok has remained steady, there has been a recent rise in both Instagram and X as reported sources of travel inspiration.

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