(Lebanon, N.H. – November 25, 2024) The recent U.S. election results are impacting 2025 travel decisions, according to the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey. 30% of respondents expect more international travel next year, while 7% expect to take fewer foreign trips. More than half (55%) don’t expect changes to their 2025 international travel plans.

Travelers identified multiple reasons for increasing trips abroad. Many travelers unhappy with the election outcome revealed a desire to escape. “I want to spend as much time as possible outside the U.S. over the next four years,” confessed one survey respondent.

Many respondents pointed to the post-election bump in the economy as their expectation of increased international travel. “The economy should show signs of improvement, and if the new administration can make peace deals around the world, then travel will be as good or better next year.”

Most respondents said the election had no impact on their future travel expectations. Instead, they revealed their disposable income increased thanks to low inflation and had already booked their international trips for 2025. “I have a general feeling of being better off and secure. I anticipate increased disposable income available, and I’m already booked for 2025,” admitted another respondent.

One of the most notable shifts in traveler behavior is the reduced impact of rising costs on travel plans. “With inflation at a three-year low, fewer travelers are canceling or postponing trips,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the Department of Commerce. “In 2024, travelers embarked on their long-postponed dreams of global travel, fueled by a stabilizing economy and a renewed focus on meaningful experiences over material possessions.”

Fewer than a tenth of respondents (7%) expected less international travel in 2025. Many of these respondents expressed elevated personal safety concerns while in foreign countries due to the U.S. elections. “The change of U.S. Administration makes me more apprehensive about being in a foreign country with the risk of anger and animosity toward Americans being higher,” admitted one respondent.

But an equal number revealed their reduced foreign travel was not due to the election tally; instead, it was due to concern over ongoing geopolitical instability, from the current wars to terrorist activity.  

###

Contact 

Bill McIntyre at bmcintyre@globalrescue.com or +1 (202) 560-1195 (phone/text) for more information. 

About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey 

Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 2,200 current and former members on November 20, 2024. The respondents revealed key insights to future travel in 2025 following the U.S. elections.

About Global Rescue 

The Global Rescue Companies are the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.