by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:20 AM ET, Wed August 26, 2026
Nearly one-third of international travelers have canceled, postponed, or changed their international trips this year because of concerns about destination safety.
The striking new insight comes from the latest Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey from this summer.
The percentage of experienced international travelers changing, canceling or postponing their trips is 29%, with 72% of these reporting that geopolitics, civil unrest and security concerns impact where they travel at least moderately.
Forty-two percent of these travelers said these issues strongly influence their travel choices. Only 8% reported not considering security concerns when choosing a place to visit.
Those who changed their travel plans because of current events and safety concerns often selected an alternative destination (9% of travelers surveyed), postponed their trip (7%) or canceled altogether (6%). Seventy-one percent of total respondents continued with their original travel plans.
"International travelers are adapting to a world where geopolitical instability has become part of the travel planning process," said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a member of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the US Department of Commerce.
"Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, civil unrest, terrorism concerns and regional security issues are causing experienced travelers to reassess destinations that may have seemed routine only a few years ago,” continued Richards. “Travelers aren't giving up on international travel, they're making more informed decisions about where and when to go."
American Travelers Versus Non-US Travelers
Travelers from the United States and global travelers have similar levels of concern, with 72% of Americans and 74% of non-U.S. travelers reporting at least moderate concern about security and safety.
Forty-four percent of American travelers report these issues strongly influence their destination choice, while that number is 40% among non-U.S. travelers.
Yet what they choose to do about their travel plans is different: while 28% and 29% of travelers have had to change or postpone their travel plans, non-US travelers are much more likely to change their destinations rather than cancel a trip, at 14% of non-US travelers versus 8% of American travelers.
When making travel-related decisions, 49% of travelers trust government travel advisories as their most critical source of information. Another 21% rely on news reports, while 16% turn to travel security providers.
American travelers are more likely to prefer government travel advisories (52% vs. 41% of non-US travelers), while non-US travelers are more likely to rely on news sources (28% vs. 19% of Americans).
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