American Express Travel: This year’s Global Travel Trends Report focuses on the motivations behind why people — especially Millennial and Gen Z2 behaviors and attitudes — are traveling and how that shapes the future of travel
American Express Travel: 2025 Global Travel Trends Report
“Travelers, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are motivated to book thoughtful, meaningful trips this year. The report shows that people feel passionately about their vacations. We understand what travelers are looking for and as demand continues, we can use our expertise to create dream itineraries,” said Audrey Hendley, President, American Express Travel.
77% of global respondents plan on going on more or the same number of international trips compared to last year.
75% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed say it feels like a reward when they book travel with credit card points (compared to 62% of Gen X and Baby Boomers).
60% of global respondents plan to book a trip around entertainment events or plan on taking at least one trip for a sporting event in 2025, reinforcing that traveling for experiences continues to be a driving force.
70% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed like to plan trips that focus on enjoying the journey as much as the destination (e.g. Luxury Rail, Cruise, etc.).
59% of global respondents plan on taking 1-3 international trips in 2025 and 74% of global respondents plan on taking 1-3 domestic trips in 2025.
Memorable Mementos
The traditional souvenir or duty-free shop isn’t cutting it anymore. Travelers are more intentional about what they bring back, especially when it comes to handmade or specialty local goods.
82% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed look for one-of-a kind goods that will remind them of their trip, so they have a story to share with friends and family (compared to 68% of Gen X and Baby Boomers) and 57% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed intentionally travel to a destination to find high-quality items that are handmade/authentic to the destination they are visiting.
Travelers of all generations surveyed associate more mindful shopping with great trips: 73% of global respondents say it is important for them to support local small businesses while visiting a new destination. To find those local small businesses to visit on their trip, 67% of global respondents typically use local recommendations/ guides or social media.
Fam Adventures
Travelers of all generations surveyed, from young kids to grandparents, will be packing their bags to be together this year.
58% of Millennials and Gen Z parents surveyed plan to bring their extended family on vacation in 2025, as opposed to 31% of their Gen X and Baby Boomer counterparts.
89% of these Millennial and Gen Z-aged parents cited “quality time” as the reason for bringing along extended family, which is more than those who said to “help with childcare” (24%).
The next generation also has a stronger voice than ever in planning family vacations: 68% of Millennials and Gen Z parents surveyed say their children typically help inform aspects of trips (compared to 56% of Gen X and Baby Boomer parents surveyed).
81% of global respondents prefer destinations that are family-centric and have activities for all ages.
Benefit Aficionados
Travelers are becoming savvier by stacking reward points and using benefits across credit cards and travel programs to maximize their trips.
Two-thirds (66%) of global respondents say that combining credit card rewards with other loyalty perks provides “the best value for international trips.”
Many travelers (58% of global respondents) are likely to stack travel benefits from multiple loyalty programs to get upgrades they wouldn’t have splurged on otherwise.
Our survey revealed a significant generation gap here: 61% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed use their credit card to maximize travel rewards, compared to 36% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.
Tap in, Take Of
Travelers are making the most of travel friendly tech throughout the planning and booking process to provide a smooth journey from start to finish — from making reservations in advance to overcoming language barriers while traveling.
The younger generations are leading the embrace of Gen AI capabilities: 83% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed found at least one aspect of this new technology to be useful for booking, compared to 64% of Gen X and Baby Boomers.
80% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed like the fast convenience of using travel planning apps or social media to help them plan their travel journey.
66% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed typically download relevant travel apps before a trip (compared to 51% of Gen X and Baby Boomers).
39% of Millennials and Gen Z surveyed typically search for the best deals on their smartphone or tablet but then use a desktop computer to book.
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