NEWS

(Lebanon, NH – June 15, 2026) — Rising jet fuel prices, airline route reductions and higher airfares are fueling concern among international travelers, but destination safety remains the most important factor influencing travel decisions, according to the results of a new Global Rescue SNAP Survey.

Nearly seven in ten travelers (69.79%) reported they are either very concerned or somewhat concerned that global airline travel will become less reliable or less affordable as jet fuel prices rise and European airlines reduce flight schedules. Only 6.72% said they are less or much less concerned, while 22.30% reported no change in their level of concern.

The findings come amid reports of soaring jet fuel costs, widespread airline schedule reductions and warnings from aviation industry leaders that airfare increases are likely to continue if fuel market instability persists.

Despite growing concern over airline costs and reliability, destination safety remains the primary driver of international travel decisions.

More than half of travelers (55.31%) said destination safety is still more important to their travel plans than airline ticket costs or route reductions. However, more than one-quarter (26.81%) said both destination safety and airline costs are significant concerns, highlighting the increasingly complex risk calculations travelers are making. An additional 12.08% said airline ticket costs and route reductions are now a bigger deterrent to international travel than destination safety concerns.

“International travelers are facing a convergence of challenges that extends well beyond traditional safety concerns,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the U.S. Department of Commerce. “Travelers are increasingly evaluating affordability, airline reliability, operational disruptions and destination safety simultaneously. The travel decision-making process has become far more complex than it was just a few years ago.”

The survey also found that, despite record-breaking heatwaves affecting parts of Europe, Asia and the Middle East, most travelers are not changing their international travel plans.

More than 71% of respondents said they have not modified their international travel because of extreme heatwaves. Only 4% reported modifying or canceling travel due to extreme heat.

“Travelers appear willing to adapt to environmental challenges rather than abandon travel altogether,” Richards said. “The data suggests experienced travelers continue to prioritize travel while adjusting expectations and managing risks as conditions evolve.”

About the Global Rescue SNAP Survey

Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 500 current and former members between June 2–8, 2026. Respondents shared their attitudes, behaviors and preferences related to travel safety, technology and global mobility.

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world's leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services. Since 2004, Global Rescue has provided field rescue, medical evacuation, security extraction and travel risk management services to individuals, enterprises and governments worldwide.

(Lebanon, NH – June 8, 2026) — International travel remains resilient in 2026, but a new Global Rescue survey reveals a widening divide in how different groups perceive risk, plan trips and respond to global instability.

According to the Spring 2026 Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey of more than 1,100 experienced travelers, 70% say they are continuing to travel internationally as planned. However, that topline stability masks a more nuanced reality: 16% of travelers are taking a wait-and-see approach, 9% are shifting to domestic travel and 5% are not traveling at all.

“Travelers are still going abroad, but they’re not thinking about travel the same way,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies. “Underneath strong demand, there are clear differences in confidence, risk tolerance and decision-making across demographics.”

Geopolitical instability has emerged as the dominant factor influencing travel hesitation, cited by 37% of respondents who are avoiding or delaying international trips. That concern is significantly more pronounced among women, with 47% identifying geopolitical instability as their primary issue compared to 35% of men. Non-US-based respondents also report higher concern at 42%, compared to 39% among US-based respondents. Cost, often assumed to be the leading barrier, trails far behind at 15% overall, though it rises sharply to 23% among non-US-based respondents versus just 12% for US-based respondents, highlighting a clear economic divide in travel decision-making.

The data also reveals distinct behavioral differences between men and women. While both groups are traveling internationally at similar rates, roughly 73%, their forward-looking attitudes diverge. Men are more likely to express uncertainty about future travel, with 28% saying they are unsure about returning to international travel within the next 12 months, compared to just 14% of women. Women, by contrast, appear more decisive but also more conditional, with 15% saying their return to travel depends on evolving circumstances, versus only 3% of men. This suggests that while women may be more attuned to geopolitical risk, they are also more deliberate in how they factor it into decision-making.

Differences between US-based and non-US-based respondents are equally pronounced. Non-US-based respondents demonstrate stronger intent to resume global travel, with 44% saying they are very likely to take international trips within the next year, compared to 37% of US-based respondents. US-based respondents, on the other hand, show greater hesitation, with 25% reporting uncertainty versus 16% among non-US-based respondents. US-based travelers are also more likely to substitute international trips with domestic travel, reinforcing the role of domestic options as a fallback strategy in the American market.

Despite these differences, overall travel behavior remains largely stable. Nearly 58% of respondents say their travel habits have not changed compared to previous years, while 9% report traveling more. Still, 14% say they are traveling less internationally but continuing domestic trips, and another 14% report traveling less overall. Here again, geographic differences emerge: non-US-based respondents are more likely to reduce travel overall, at 17% compared to 12% of US-based respondents, while US-based respondents are more inclined to shift toward domestic travel.

Encouragingly, 63% of respondents say they are very or somewhat likely to return to international travel within the next 12 months. “The survey makes clear that confidence is no longer uniform,” Richards said. “Instead, it is shaped by a combination of geopolitical awareness, economic pressures and individual risk tolerance, with meaningful differences across gender and geography.”

“International travel demand is intact, but it’s more conditional than it was in the past,” he added. “Travelers are making more informed, more deliberate decisions, and those decisions vary significantly depending on who they are and where they’re based.”

About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey

Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 1,200 current and former members between April 7 - 13, 2026. Respondents shared their attitudes, behaviors and preferences related to travel safety, technology and global mobility.

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue maintains exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. The company has provided medical and security support during every major global crisis over the past two decades.

(Lebanon, NH – June 1, 2026) – International travelers are actively reshaping where they go, and where they won’t, in 2026, avoiding regions tied to active conflict, geopolitical instability and persistent security risks, according to new data from the Global Rescue Spring 2026 Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey.

The findings reveal a clear hierarchy of avoidance led by the world’s most volatile regions. Nearly three-quarters of travelers (73%) say they are avoiding countries in the Middle East adjacent to Israel, Syria and Iran. Pakistan follows at 50%, along with African nations near conflict zones such as Sudan, Libya and Somalia (45%). Central European countries bordering Russia and Ukraine are also widely avoided (40%).

“These results show that travelers are not retreating from international travel, they’re becoming more selective and risk-aware,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies. “Active conflicts and geopolitical instability are directly influencing where people are willing to go.”

Beyond active war zones, avoidance extends to regions associated with crime, instability and governance concerns. Approximately one-third of travelers (33%) report avoiding Mexico, while 31% are steering clear of parts of South and Central America near Venezuela, Honduras, Guatemala and Colombia.

Caribbean destinations near Haiti, Cuba and Jamaica are being avoided by 23% of travelers, and 20% report avoiding India. In contrast, traditional low-risk destinations remain largely unaffected, with fewer than 2% of travelers avoiding Canada or Australia/New Zealand.

Gender Differences in Risk Perception

The data reveals a consistent pattern of higher risk sensitivity among female travelers, particularly in regions associated with conflict or instability. Women are significantly more likely than men to avoid the Middle East (79% vs. 72%), Central Europe near Russia and Ukraine (45% vs. 37%) and parts of South and Central America (38% vs. 28%).

“Women are demonstrating heightened sensitivity to geopolitical and regional instability, particularly where conflicts are active or evolving,” said Richards. “That aligns with broader trends in risk perception and travel planning behavior.”

Differences are narrower in destinations such as Mexico and the Caribbean, where avoidance rates between men and women are relatively aligned.

US-based and non-US-based Travelers Diverge

Geography plays a defining role in how travelers assess risk. US-based respondents are significantly more likely to avoid destinations in Mexico (37% vs. 21% of non-US-based travelers), Pakistan (52% vs. 43%), African conflict-adjacent countries (46% vs. 39%) and India (23% vs. 12%).

At the same time, non-US-based travelers are far more likely to avoid the United States itself, with 31% indicating avoidance compared to less than 1% of US-based respondents, one of the most pronounced perception gaps in the data.

“This is a clear example of how risk perception is shaped by perspective and proximity,” Richards said. “What feels familiar to one group may feel uncertain or risky to another.”

A More Selective Global Traveler

The data reinforces a broader shift in traveler behavior: rather than avoiding international travel altogether, travelers are actively managing risk through destination selection.

“Travelers are not standing still—they’re adapting,” Richards added. “Understanding where risks are increasing and adjusting accordingly has become a fundamental part of modern travel planning.”

About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey

Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 1,200 current and former members between April 7 - 13, 2026. Respondents shared their attitudes, behaviors and preferences related to travel safety, technology and global mobility.

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue maintains exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. The company has provided medical and security support during every major global crisis over the past two decades.

(Lebanon, NH – May 26, 2026) – Security extraction capabilities and real-time intelligence are emerging as foundational expectations among international travelers, according to new data from the Global Rescue Spring 2026 Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey. The findings reveal not only strong overall demand for security support, but also meaningful differences in how risk is perceived across genders and between US-based and non-US-based travelers.

More than three-quarters of respondents (77%) say security extraction services are either very important (44%) or important (33%) when traveling internationally. However, the intensity of that concern varies significantly. A majority of women (53%) rate extraction as very important, compared to just 38% of men — a nearly 15-point gap that underscores a higher level of risk sensitivity among female travelers.

Geographic differences are also notable. Half of non-US-based travelers (50%) consider extraction services very important, compared to 43% of US-based respondents, suggesting heightened awareness or exposure to travel risk outside the United States.

“Extraction is no longer viewed as an extreme or niche capability, it’s becoming a baseline expectation for serious international travelers,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies. “What’s particularly important is how clearly the data shows different traveler segments evaluating risk through different lenses.”

Access to real-time security intelligence is also a powerful enabler of travel. More than 81% of respondents say such intelligence would increase their willingness to travel to foreign or remote destinations, including 54% who say they would be very likely or 100% willing to travel with access to that information.

Women again show more sensitivity to risk mitigation tools: 25% say real-time intelligence would definitely increase their willingness to travel, compared to 21% of men. Non-US-based travelers are also more responsive, with 26% indicating “yes, 100%,” versus 21% of US-based respondents.

At the same time, women are more likely to express hesitation overall, with 20% saying they are not very likely to be influenced by real-time intelligence, compared to 14% of men—highlighting a more polarized risk posture.

Growing concerns about safety in international travel are already translating into action. Global Rescue reports a 30% increase in security membership purchases so far this year compared to the same period in 2025, underscoring rising demand for professional travel risk management services.

When ranking specific protections, travelers overwhelmingly prioritize outcomes over advisory services. Physical extraction in response to bodily threat ranks as the most important capability by a wide margin, with 62% selecting it as their top priority.

Other high-ranking services include:

• Comprehensive kidnapping, extortion and violent crime support (47% most important)
• Expert-led security incident response and negotiation (41%)
• Security advisory services (33%)

Notably, traditional preparedness measures such as training rank lower, reinforcing that travelers place the highest value on immediate, decisive intervention during crises.

When asked what would most influence their decision to obtain security services, travelers point primarily to situational risk:

• Traveling to a high-risk destination (31%) is the leading trigger, especially among non-US-based travelers (36% vs. 30% US-based)
• Spikes in threats targeting foreigners (20%)
• Destinations with inadequate emergency response infrastructure (17%)

“These triggers reinforce a key point: demand for security services is highly contextual,” Richards added. “It’s not just who the traveler is—it’s where they’re going and what’s happening on the ground in real time.”

About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 1,200 current and former members between April 7–13, 2026. Respondents shared their attitudes, behaviors and preferences related to travel safety, technology and global mobility.

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue maintains exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. The company has provided medical and security support during every major global crisis over the past two decades.