Globe Trotting Trends

Feb 22, 2019 | Aon

From a full tour of western Europe to a quick weekend in Toronto, Americans are continuing to embrace international travel in all forms. In fact, according to a recent survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of the Aon Affinity Travel Practice, 68 percent of Americans have traveled internationally for leisure, and nearly half have done so in the past five years. The Aon survey questioned more than 2,000 American adults ages 18 and older, including 1,355 who have traveled internationally for leisure.
 
Some additional trends we spotted from the survey:
 
  • Europe edged out Canada slightly as the top international leisure travel destination for these American international leisure travelers. Roughly two in five (39 percent) have crossed the Atlantic to Europe for a vacation while 32 percent have visited our neighbors to the north.
 
  • General sightseeing is the most common pastime for international leisure travelers (70 percent); travel tours, such as guided, walking or bike tours, comes in second with 43 percent participating.
 
  • Eleven percent of respondents who have traveled internationally for leisure have experienced a trip cancellation. Trip cancellation is one of the most common incidents travel insurance covers and ranked as the top reason (73 percent) Aon Affinity Travel Practice saw a travel insurance claim filed 2018.
 
  • Nearly half (47 percent) who have traveled internationally for leisure purchased travel insurance for all or some of those trips. A quarter (25 percent) purchased travel insurance for every one of their international trips.
 
According to the recent IBISWorld Industry Report: Travel Insurance in the US, “U.S. residents traveling to international destinations for business or leisure purposes are the primary source of demand for travel insurance”. That’s in large part because the need for travel insurance typically increases relative to the complexity of a trip. International journeys tend to be prime candidates for travel protection because they’re generally booked months in advance, require a more substantial financial investment and can take you to destinations where your health insurance or Medicare may not be accepted.
 
“All vacations have their own nuances – from who’s traveling to where you’re going to how much you’re spending – that factor into the travel insurance purchase decision,” says Beth Godlin, president of the Aon Affinity Travel Practice. “Examine them all before you decide if travel insurance fits your trip. It’s often worth allocating a few dollars of your budget for travel insurance to protect your trip.”
 
 
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Aon Affinity from October 11-15, 2018 among 2,004 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, among whom 1,355 have traveled internationally for leisure. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variable and subgroup sample sizes, please contact [email protected].
 
 
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