New Destinations, Longer Stays: How Travelers Are Embracing Bold Exploration in 2024

Travelers are planning three or more trips in 2024, according to the world’s most experienced travelers responding to the Global Rescue Winter Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey. The overwhelming majority of respondents (93%) are planning international trips this year with 41% planning three or more trips and more than half (52%) taking one-to-two trips abroad.

“The survey results are a clear indicator, and consistent with expert predictions and travel volumes reported by TSA, that the travel rebound will continue through 2024,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies, the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services, and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Mexico, Canada, Europe and Africa are the four leading international destinations for travelers, according to survey results. However, a significant number of survey respondents (66%) are planning to include new international destinations to visit this year.

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Global Rescue surveyed more than 1,500 of its current and former members between January 25-30, 2024. The respondents revealed a variety of behaviors, attitudes and preferences regarding current and future travel.

“The traveler’s appetite for exploring the world is increasing. Today’s travelers are traveling boldly and increasingly seeking out new destinations that are unspoiled, less popular, more remote and sometimes a little riskier,” Richards said. “Adventure travel, luxury travel and other activity-focused segments will continue to see strong growth. Many places are at capacity or are over-subscribed and have waiting lists.”

The top 10 most frequently mentioned new international destinations travelers are planning to visit are Spain, Africa, Japan, Argentina, Italy, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Greenland and Norway.

Many travelers reported planning longer, more adventurous trips. Nearly a quarter (23%) of respondents said that since the pandemic ended, they are planning to stay longer on at least one of their international trips in 2024. One in five respondents (21%) are planning more adventurous, immersive trips in 2024 compared to past trips.

The majority of respondents (83%) said they would travel with friends or family for their trips, but not for all of their trips. Nearly a third (30%) said some of their trips would be solo, 19% said at least one trip would be on their own with a group of strangers, and 8% said one or more trips would be travel with business colleagues.

Traveler Fears Shift: Civil Unrest, Terrorism Surpass Accidents, Illnesses

Civil unrest and terrorism are travelers’ leading fears, surpassing accidents or injuries and marking a dramatic attitudinal shift since spring 2023, according to the survey.

More than a third of travelers (36%) reported civil unrest and terrorism are the biggest concerns during global trips, reflecting a three-fold increase compared to spring 2023. A quarter of respondents (25%) said having an accident or illness during a trip was their greatest fear, a significant decrease from spring 2023 when half of travelers (50%) reported suffering an injury or getting sick was their biggest concern.

“We’re seeing an understandable increase in traveler concern worldwide. Nevertheless, international trip takers continue to travel anyway despite the rising threats of civil unrest, war and terrorism,” Richards.

Travelers are beefing up their trip protection with security advisory and extraction protection. A third of respondents (34%) said the war in Ukraine, the Hamas attacks on Israel or other violent conflicts make it more likely they will add security extraction and advisory protection to their travel protection package.

“Traveler uncertainty generally increases traveler demand for emergency medical and security services,” Richards said. “Last year, traveler purchases of security and extraction services increased by 36%, and we expect that will continue in 2024. We’ve seen this traveler behavior since the war in Ukraine, and we’re seeing it continue following the attacks on Israel.”

Travelers are seeking more security, and the travel industry is responding. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is advancing new security screening programs like the Screening at Speed Program that enables the scanning of walking passengers, acquiring data through most garments and reliably detecting a wider range of prohibited items regardless of concealment. Hotels are using keyless room entry, elevator access controls and surveillance cameras to increase guest safety. Airbnb users must verify their identity before completing a reservation. Travelers are turning to door wedges, portable door locks and lock lockers for added protection in hotel rooms.

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Global Rescue continues to invest in better security for their members’ peace of mind. The Global Rescue Intelligence Delivery system (GRID 2.0) is the world’s only integrated medical and security mobile app for travel risk, asset tracking, intelligence delivery and crisis response management.

The GRID 2.0 system distributes event notifications and alerts for civil unrest, disease-related developments, safety issues, transportation disruptions, communications blackouts, and natural disasters including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcanic activity. In an emergency, the GRID 2.0 app puts its members in immediate contact with the medical teams and military special operations veterans who staff Global Rescue’s Global Operations Centers.

“GRID 2.0 places critical medical, security and other essential travel intelligence in the hands of leisure and business workforce travelers. Last year more than 10,000 global events were reported with nearly a million event alerts distributed,” Richards.

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While civil unrest, terrorism, accidents and illnesses top the list of traveler fears, the survey revealed other concerns. Trip cancellation, robbery or theft garnered between 7-9% of responses. Testing positive for COVID (or its variants) and natural disasters each collected 5% of responses. Nuclear disasters collected <1% of responses.

What Is Travel Peace of Mind Worth to You?

Travelers with a sense of adventure will bring along a Global Rescue medical evacuation and travel risk membership for peace of mind. A Global Rescue membership pays for the expense of a field rescue or medical evacuation, which can reach $300,000, if you become ill or hurt while traveling. For members of Global Rescue, the cost is $0. In the absence of Global Rescue, your travel emergency may take longer, cost more and exacerbate a risky scenario.

Are your worries a constant companion on your travels? Discover how a Global Rescue travel membership can provide you with peace of mind on every journey. Explore the 10 Reasons Why You Need Global Rescue Travel Protection.