Passengers who won't stop chattering rank highest as travelers' main annoyances, according to a survey's findings.
In 2025, American travellers face a unique set of challenges as they plan their holidays. From reduced flight options and skyrocketing costs to delays, cancellations, and increased bureaucracy, the travel landscape is marked by uncertainty and logistical chaos.
According to recent surveys, the most common travel nightmares for Americans include:
- Airlines pulling out or cutting U.S. routes, leading to reduced flight options.
- Expensive travel prices driven by tariffs and economic factors.
- Delays and cancellations at airports caused by staff shortages and technical issues.
- Increased bureaucracy such as visa delays and stricter border policies.
- Lost passports, stolen or cloned credit cards, and extreme weather conditions at destinations.
- Sitting near crying children.
- Being placed next to an overly chatty passenger.
Amid these challenges, Americans are adopting a more strategic approach to travel planning. Economic uncertainty and rising costs have prompted travellers to integrate travel expenses carefully into their budgets and consider alternatives to expensive options. Retirees are advised to incorporate travel financing into their retirement planning, while others build in buffer times for visa and flight delays to avoid last-minute disruptions.
Practical tips such as safeguarding passports and credit cards are also being employed to prevent common mishaps.
Interestingly, when it comes to trip planning, 51% of travellers want both human and virtual assistance, with 23% preferring a human travel agent over AI tools. However, 18% of travellers prefer to rely on a virtual travel assistant, and 8% aren't interested in either and prefer to plan their trips themselves.
The majority of holiday getaways are planned to be around 7 days, with 53% of holiday travelers intending to spend between $2-$4,999 on their trip. Surprisingly, the activity Americans are least inclined to try is a private submarine tour, while 85% of Americans are open to extreme tourism activities such as base jumping, storm chasing, cage diving with sharks, caving, and volcano boarding.
In response to these challenges, modern insurance providers offer travel insurance that is human-friendly and comprehensive. Our website offers holistic, digestible trip protection, ensuring travellers are covered in case of unforeseen circumstances.
As we approach the holiday season, 68% of respondents plan to travel for celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve. With careful planning and financial caution, Americans are navigating the complexities of modern travel to create memorable experiences.
References: - NextTribe (2025) - Global Discovery Documentary (2025) - Outlook Traveller (2025) - FXStreet (2025)
- To address the challenges faced by American travellers, many are integrating travel expenses into their budgets and considering alternatives to expensive options, as a result of economic uncertainty and rising costs.
- Retirees are advised to incorporate travel financing into their retirement planning, while others build in buffer times for visa and flight delays to avoid last-minute disruptions.
- In response to the complexities of modern travel, modern insurance providers offer travel insurance that is human-friendly and comprehensive, ensuring travellers are covered in case of unforeseen circumstances.
- According to recent surveys, when it comes to trip planning, a majority of travellers want both human and virtual assistance, with some preferring a human travel agent over AI tools, while others prefer to rely on a virtual travel assistant or plan their trips themselves.
