The American 'revenge travel' -increase is over. Fear and uncertainty are major factors

Francisco Ayala and his wife have canceled the cruise they intended to see the Northern Lights this year. The reasons are complicated.

Ayala is an American citizen born in nature and his wife is a naturalized citizen. But given reports of people – even with the legal status – that are held and interrogated at US Borders, Ayala said that making a journey the country for fun does not seem worth the potential risk.

Ayala also sees another problem: the economy. “Writing is on the wall … The moment I saw market volatility, I am:” Yes, this will not be good. “

Travel advisers see the impact of that uncertainty. More than 80% of the 460 advisers who were recently examined by Travelage West were “very” or “somewhat” concerned about the impact of a possible economic decline on their company, and more than half were “very” concerned about the impact of government policy.

The highest care of their customers was economic uncertainty, followed by concerns about the treatment of Americans abroad, safety and safety, the fear of cost increases due to rates, immigration and border policy and travel restrictions.

“You can't only take one perspective and say:” Oh, the economy has a problem. So let's find a little less expensive, “said Beci Mahnken, CEO of Mei-Travel. Other customers say:” I don't want to travel to the United States “or” I don't want to travel outside the United States. “It is like a rock tunnel, going and going.”

A light light at the end of that tunnel can be savings on last-minute summer tours, because travelers are increasingly taking a wait-and-see attitude with their plans.

A 'Brick wall'

Mahnken saw signs of problems for the first time at the beginning of April, when American stocks feared for fear of a chaotic trade war.

Mahnken and its employees of the travel agency began to get phone calls from customers, called to cancel vacations they had booked or to look for reimbursable journeys. She said they were anxious because their 401 (K) S and other investments had taken a dip. That uncertainty, she says, let them pause for discretionary editions as a summer trip.

Until that moment, Mahnken said, the frenzy of raised “revenge trips” activity that started after the pandemic limitations had been lifted in the course of four years was not delayed.

“We were still on this incredible high,” Mahnken said. “And then … it almost touched a brick wall.”

Flight Analytics company Cirium attracted from the end of January to the beginning of May to book the flight books of online travel agencies, when people usually book summer tours. That data, which Cirium shared with CNN, indicates that bookings for travel in June, July and August almost 10% fall when watching large American airports to favorite European destinations compared to the same period last year.

Flights booked in the opposite direction from Europe to the US have fallen by 12% in the same period. That substantial decrease is unusual, according to Jeremy Bowen, CEO of Cirium.

“We don't often see it as a wholesaler like this and for such a short period. Really, that the Q1 booking is really considerably lower since the beginning of the year,” Bowen said.

Data about American travelers who book summer trips to Asia are a bit more mixed, with increased bookings to destinations such as Hong Kong and Tokyo, but purchased in flights to other large cities in the region.

Domestic journeys in the US also seem to be falling by around 5%, with the same search parameters.

“Potential people wait to see,” said Bowen.

The drop has not been stable. Mahnken said that as soon as the stock market stabilized, its customers started to feel a little more comfortable when publishing more. But it is what Mahnken calls a “bouncing ball” that could change again tomorrow.

Mahnken, who has been in the travel industry since 9/11, remembers how travelers behaved after terrorist attacks, during the recession of 2008 and post-Covid. But the challenge this time, she says, is a combination of those experiences, including economic unpredictability and geopolitical forces.

Make different types of trips

Deloitte's 2025 Summer Travel Survey shows that Americans are still planning to travel this season. Deloitte -data released on 20 May even show an increase of 5% in Americans who are planning to make leisure trips this summer, but they may be planned cheaper journeys than a few months ago.

That can mean more road trips, instead of dealing with flights that should be canceled in case the entire journey is deleted, Mahnken said.

This in particular applies to anyone who is worried about his work stability, or people are afraid that they might have to write back for discretionary expenses if markets are still taking a tumbling.

“We (who) now have the tendency to book closer now, instead of booking further, because … they feel more at ease with their situation in the next four to six months, in contrast to the next eight to 12, which is a normal booking window for large vacations,” she said.

For Ayala, this environment means strategic about which journeys they are worth to make.

“I don't really believe we'll have a complete recession,” said Ayala. “But we will definitely have a delay in the economy, at least … if you can save yourself a hassle and save yourself the money, this would be the year to do it.”

He and his wife canceled their cruise to Alaska, departure from a Canadian port, after they had seen several European countries warnings to their citizens of potential problems entering the United States.

But they still intend to attend two weddings in Mexico this year, because they are important family events.

Yet Ayala said he fears being profiled to come back from those journeys only because of his name, even if there is no maliciousness on the side of the border agent. He said he feels that agents could see a Spanish name on paper and become overbearing by interrogating him.

“I fear the return. I think there is a non-no-out chance that I should call my employer and say,” Hey, guess? I don't get to work because I couldn't go back, “he said.” But it is an important lifelong event. This is worth the risk, while traveling for pleasure is not. “

Last-minute deals

The difference in the way people book summer trips and where they go can create opportunities for people who are looking for a deal at the last minute.

Tiffany Funk, co-founder of Point.me, an optimization site for travel points, said that people with loyalty points should use them because they are now worth more than in the future. Funk said that people can be surprised how many further points will bring them internationally than on domestic journeys.

But she said that there are some interesting trends in her own country, partly because some Canadians have canceled their travels.

“There are actually some deals to be closed in places such as New England and the coast of Maine, where you usually had to book years ago in some cases to ensure availability there. But we see some good deals there,” Funk said.

“Florida, you have the Gulf Coast, where you can get a pretty decent prices for very popular family -friendly destinations that are usually just terribly expensive for summer vacations,” she said.

Mahnken said while cruise companies continue to launch Megaships that were in production long before the current economic turbulence, they will have to fill rooms. She also points to the unusual number of discounts at the theme park this season.

“I see many cruise companies doing incredibly good sales for them [dates]”She said.” Theme parks … we see them a lot of marketing and many money offers during what is usually a high season. “

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