More American travelers are expressing concerns about going overseas, according to a new survey by TravelAge West, part of its Need to Know research series.
Based on responses from more than 300 travel advisors, 82% have clients who have expressed concerns about international travel, and 77% report that this has increased in the past six months.
The two biggest concerns my clients are addressing with me are related to upcoming visa restrictions in their bucket-list destinations and potential travel bans imposed by the U.S.
“The two biggest concerns my clients are addressing with me are related to upcoming visa restrictions in their bucket-list destinations and potential travel bans imposed by the U.S.,” said Natalia Yepes of Adventuresque Travel Boutique. “The sheer number of headlines is confusing to them, and they can’t figure out if the information really pertains to them. So, while their concerns are easily assuaged, I understand why they get worried — it seems every week something in the travel industry changes.”
An increasing number of travelers are expressing concern about traveling abroad.
Credit: 2025 TravelAge WestTop traveler fears include concerns about how Americans are perceived abroad and general safety. Other major concerns include political instability in the destination; travel disruptions such as strikes and cancellations; and inflation and unexpected costs.
Nearly three-fourths of advisors (73%) say clients are voicing concerns about how they will be perceived or treated as Americans abroad, and 39% have had people change their travel plans due to this concern. (When we last asked this question in our May survey, only 60% of advisors said that their clients have expressed fear regarding the treatment of Americans traveling abroad.)
Americans are unsure how they will be treated in other countries.
Credit: 2025 TravelAge West“I have had a very small number of clients express concerns about their safety as Americans abroad, mostly because of the current geopolitical climate,” Yepes said. “However, this number is small and mostly from first-time international travelers. For the few clients that have asked if certain destinations are friendly to Americans, I always tell them most destinations regard Americans highly, but to always exercise caution and be respectful of local cultures and customs.”
I always tell [clients] most destinations regard Americans highly, but to always exercise caution and be respectful of local cultures and customs.
More than three-fourths of respondents (76%) say that recent global conflicts have contributed to increasing client hesitation about visiting certain destinations. Perhaps not surprisingly, given ongoing wars, the regions eliciting the most concern are the Middle East, followed by Eastern Europe. However, familiar destinations also ranked highly among areas of concern — 38% of advisors listed Western Europe/the U.K., while 20% chose Canada.
According to the survey, the current situation has been a benefit to domestic travel. Most advisors (59%) have had clients who opt to travel domestically out of fear of anti-American sentiment abroad.
Some clients are opting to stay within the U.S. for their vacations.
Credit: 2025 TravelAge West“Personally, I’m not seeing an increase in domestic travel,” Yepes said. “At our agency, most clients are taking their bucket-list trips now, fearing that these destinations will be harder to visit in the future. We had about 60% of our clients initially pause their international travel planning because of the uncertainty of what it would be like to travel abroad as an American. However, we now have clients planning trips to unique and exotic international destinations — usually with a short window of one to two months before departure — since they think countries will be less open to Americans in 2026.”
Travel insurance has also been more popular — more than half (55%) report selling more insurance this year compared to last year.
In general, clients are looking for reassurance in the form of more flexible booking and cancellation policies and more travel insurance, while advisors are leaning toward strategies such as offering more travel insurance; sharing personal or client experiences; and steering clients away from high-risk areas altogether.
Need to Know Travel Survey Series
“Need to Know” is a research series from TravelAge West that tracks the responses of travel advisors as they relate to various travel trends and topics. This survey recorded the responses of 305 advisors across the U.S. See more Need to Know stories here.
