New Aon Affinity Travel Practice Survey Shows Why Travelers Are Prioritizing Coverage
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK (Jan. 7, 2025) – A new survey from Aon Affinity, the affinity business of Aon plc (NYSE: AON), reveals key reasons driving Americans to purchase travel insurance. Notably, 41% of Americans who bought coverage did so to avoid losing money if they had to cancel, while 39% cited fears about unexpected issues arising before departure after booking months in advance.
“Americans view travel insurance as an essential tool,” said Beth Godlin, president of Aon Affinity Travel Practice. "It helps travelers protect their trips from potential disruptions in today’s unpredictable world.”
The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of Aon Travel Practice, part of the Affinity Business at Aon, queried more than 2,000 American adults ages 18 and older about their attitudes toward travel and travel insurance – from factors that influence travel destinations and recent experiences with travel disruptions, to how often they have bought coverage and what motivated them.
Key findings include:
- Half of Americans (50%) have purchased travel insurance, with 15% purchasing coverage for every trip. About 1 in 5 Americans (21%) have purchased travel insurance for several trips, and 14% have done so for only one trip.
- While the risk of trip cancellation and unforeseen events before departure are the top motivators for purchasing travel insurance, 28% of those who’ve purchased travel insurance did so because they were worried about getting sick and not being able to travel, while 26% cited concerns about bad weather or a natural disaster impacting their trip. Other common motivators include traveling abroad and needing supplemental medical coverage (22%), uncertainty with the economy (21%), and concerns about the impact of global conflicts (19%).
- Men are more likely to purchase travel insurance, with 53% saying they have purchased it, compared to 47% of women. Additionally, men are more likely to buy travel insurance for every trip (18%), compared to women (13%).
- Gen Z (ages 18-27) and Millennials (ages 28-43) are more likely than older generations to purchase travel protection, with 60% of Gen Z and 54% of Millennials saying they’ve bought it, compared to 45% of Gen X (ages 44-59) and 43% of Boomers (ages 60-78).
“Travel disruptions are inevitable, underlining the importance of travel insurance,” Godlin said. “It helps offer critical financial protection and peace of mind, enabling travelers to enjoy their trips without worrying about what could go wrong.”
2024 Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Aon Affinity from September 26-30, 2024, among 2,076 adults ages 18+. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this survey, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].