RICHMOND, Va., June 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans are eager to travel this summer, but growing concerns around extreme weather, global instability, and safety are increasingly influencing where, and how they vacation, according to Allianz Partners’ Global Travel Confidence Index* (GTCI). While seven in ten Americans (70%) plan to travel this summer, travelers are navigating a more uncertain global landscape shaped by climate events, geopolitical tensions, and travel disruptions.
The GTCI survey of American travelers found other common concerns, some of which may be mitigated by travel insurance protection, include significant travel delays and trip cancellations (56%), the potential for getting ill while on vacation (46%), lost or delayed luggage (44%) or a medical emergency while traveling (42%).
“Travelers today are facing a more complex landscape than ever before,” said Emily Hartman, General Manager at Allianz Partners. “With risks like severe weather, and disruptions on the rise, travelers are being more thoughtful about planning. As travelers invest significant time and money into vacations, planning ahead and protecting those trips with travel insurance can provide critical peace of mind in an unpredictable world.”
American Travelers Navigate Growing Global Uncertainty
Global uncertainty is progressively impacting how Americans approach travel this summer, as concerns around geopolitical tensions, border restrictions, and personal safety continue to weigh on travelers. Nearly two in three Americans (63%) surveyed say they are concerned about the global geopolitical situation, while 62% cite broader safety and security concerns as factors shaping their travel mindset. As ongoing conflicts in regions such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East continue to dominate headlines, many travelers are becoming more cautious about international trips and reevaluating where they feel comfortable visiting.
These concerns may be contributing to a more domestically focused summer travel season for Americans compared to travelers globally. Just 19% of Americans plan to travel abroad this summer, significantly lower than the global average of 36%, while half (50%) say stricter border controls and travel advisories are swaying their destination choices. Younger Americans remain the most willing to travel internationally, with 25% of those under 35 planning trips abroad, while men are more than twice as likely as women to head to Europe this summer (11% vs. 5%). Women, meanwhile, are significantly more likely than men to skip summer travel altogether (36% vs. 24%), underscoring how safety concerns and global instability may be disproportionately affecting traveler confidence.
Americans Reconsider Destinations Amid Weather Concerns
Extreme weather is steadily becoming an important factor in how Americans plan their summer vacations, as travelers grow more mindful of the risks posed by climate-related events. More than two-thirds of American travelers surveyed (68%) say they now take environmental risks and extreme weather, including hurricanes, wildfires, flooding, droughts, tornadoes, and heatwaves, into consideration when choosing where to travel. With travelers continuing to witness severe weather events disrupt destinations across the U.S. and abroad, from record-breaking heat in Europe to hurricane threats along coastal regions and wildfire activity in popular vacation areas, nearly half of those surveyed (47%) say extreme weather conditions are among their top travel concerns this summer.
Younger travelers are leading this shift toward climate-conscious travel planning. Americans under 35 are significantly more likely (78%) than older generations to factor environmental risks into their vacation decisions, while Gen Z (55%) and Millennials (54%) express heightened concern about the risk of extreme weather and the broader climate crisis on their summer travel plans. As uncertainty around travel conditions grows, many travelers are also looking for added reassurance when booking trips.
For American travelers, peace of mind in the face of the unknown is the top reason for purchasing insurance, exceeding that of the average global traveler. This need for assurance is especially significant given the current geopolitical climate, extreme weather, and frequent flight delays.
The Global Travel Confidence Index was conducted by national polling firm Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Allianz Partners. Allianz Partners offers travel insurance through most major U.S. airlines, leading travel agents, online travel agencies, hotel companies, cruise lines and directly to consumers. For more information on Allianz Partners and available travel policies, please visit http://www.allianztravelinsurance.com/.
*Methodology: These are the findings of an Ipsos survey conducted on behalf of Allianz Partners that was fielded between March 20 and April 14, 2026. A total of n=2001 Americans over 18 participated in the survey which was conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform. Quotas and weighting were used to ensure the sample's composition reflects that of the American population according to census parameters. This survey has a credibility interval of +/- 2.7 per cent 19 times out of 20, of what the results would have been had all Americans adults 18+ been surveyed.