This week, I read a survey conducted by global travel insurance company Allianz, concerning American travel trends in light of recent terror attacks.
Almost a quarter of Americans (22%) say that the fear of further violence has influenced their vacation planning in some way; whether that be cancelling (6%) to changing locations (5%).
As Americans age, the fear of terror attacks happening while traveling to different regions of the world increases significantly. That trend, however, is reversed for travel within the U.S. and Canada, where millennials aged 18 to 34 have the greatest fear of an attack happening on home soil (57%) compared to generation X (51%) and baby boomers (48%).
That last bit really struck me as I’m a millennial, NAPW is primarily curated for the global citizen lifestyle of the millennial and also harbor more fear of an attack on home soil. Often — and this isn’t just a recent thing — when I tell people I’m heading somewhere they say “Be careful.” There is always something negative about a location if you scour the press enough. Understandably, their fears are warranted in light of recent attacks throughout Europe when I say I’m heading to Paris, the South of France, Bordeaux. For me, as a New Yorker that reached adolescence during 9/11, the attitude is, “I live in NYC, it’s just as likely to happen here — and it did — as it is to happen in Paris, Brussels, London….” There are definitely precautions that one should take.
- Do look at travel advisories
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Know where your embassy is in your location
- Get travel insurance! Lost luggage, cancelled flights, medical bills, I once thought of travel insurance as a luxury. Now it’s an absolute necessity.
But with all of these precautions, you still never know. We as civilians can’t plan for that kind of evil. Are we to stay in bomb shelters until it’s eradicated?
However, in spite of all of this, “An analysis of flight bookings showed a 10 percent overall increase in travel to Europe during the summer, despite recent acts of terror in Brussels, Istanbul and France. While these targeted destinations saw a significant decrease or virtually no change in U.S. travelers visiting during the upcoming summer, Europe as a whole recorded an overall increase.”
What are your thoughts? Have these attacks affected your summer travels? What are your tips for staying safe while traveling?
Lisbon, Portugal. June 2016.
Great topic, as a travel agent we have never been busier! I do get a few people come into the office every now and then to make a comment like “Gee you guys must be quiet with everything going on” but with an average of 5 new holidays booked per consultant every day in our small suburbian office, we haven’t been this busy in years! I don’t think anyone should let fear stop them, yes do your research, but don’t get too caught up in media hype!
That’s amazing! Do you book your clients with travel insurance? Are there any extra precautions you take now with booking?
I will never let my clients go overseas without travel insurance, but not because of recent events around the world, its just absolutely necessary. Overseas medical bills are huge and so are holiday cancellation fees. Good travel insurance covers all of this!
I won’t ever send my clients somewhere unsafe, so checking government warnings is important anytime. But its my client’s choice when and where they choose to travel, so its just my job to make it an informed choice.