A new study finds that seven in 10 Americans had travel plans go wrong during the past year.
The survey of 2,000 American adults who traveled in the past 12 months found that 46% had their flights delayed or canceled, 28% lost their luggage, 15% had their reservations changed without notice and 11% % got their personal belongings damaged.
Four in 10 of them said that their travel troubles, including unexpected events and accidents, have completely derailed their trip – some say they have had to deal with hurricanes, blizzards, car breakdowns, luggage theft, Aircraft damage, missing pilots and even military operations have been endured.
commissioned by AXA Partners And the study conducted by Talker Research also found that the average person plans their trips eight weeks in advance and will spend $1,120 to make their travel arrangements.
77 percent agree that the cost of travel today is uncomfortably expensive, and many people will skip the essentials and niceties of travel just to stay under budget.
Passengers said they forgo premium car fares (52%), premium seating (50%), in-flight entertainment (46%) and baggage fees (45%) if needed.
More than a third (36%) would also skip purchasing travel insurance, believing they either won’t use it (40%), that it is too expensive (36%) or that they don’t need it for short trips. Will be (26%).
Despite this, 58% admitted that they were worried about some unexpected incident or accident occurring during travel. And 63% know they would be disappointed if something happened.
“We can always expect our journeys to be nice and smooth, but it’s hard to predict when the unexpected might happen,” said Stephen Samtaro, chief revenue officer at AXA Partners. “When the cost of these trips always seems to be rising, there is a sense of urgency to make sure you are getting value for every penny – but when the unexpected happens, its serious consequences beyond what you are paying for. There may be consequences.”
The study found that 42% of travelers said they purchased travel insurance before their last trip, and most of them found it worth the price.
Half said they were able to get full reimbursement for canceled trips. Meanwhile, others were compensated for their lost luggage (25%), covered for personal injury suffered while on holiday (21%) or compensated for damaged personal belongings (20%).
More than nine in 10 (92%) said their experience with travel insurance was so valuable that they would likely purchase it for any of their trips in the future. And 88% would recommend others to get one based solely on their experiences.
Stephen Samtaro added, “I believe that peace of mind goes hand in hand with travel.” “People deserve to enjoy their journey without the added worry and stress of something going wrong.
“The survey shows that most people are likely to experience some disruption to their travel, and when it does, there is nothing that can provide immediate relief than having your entire trip covered by insurance. “
Survey Method:
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans who have traveled in the past 12 months – domestic or international; The survey was commissioned by AXA Assistance and administered by Talker Research and conducted online between September 13 and September 19, 2024.
