A new travel trend is emerging in the United States: Americans are not limiting their trips, but are turning to more authentic, participatory and family-oriented experiences, prioritizing connection and creating deeply personal memories over luxury or tradition.
Despite the increased cost of vacations, 66% of Americans say they plan to travel within the next six months, a figure that demonstrates the stable position of travel as a consumer priority.
These are the results of the new “Portrait of American Travelers™” study by MMGY Travel Intelligence, which was based on a sample of 4,500 respondents from the United States.
However, as Simon Moriarty, vice president of research at MMGY Travel Intelligence, notes, “Americans are now making different travel choices about how and with whom they will travel.”
Specifically, more than half of active travelers (53%) plan to travel during the holiday season, but traditional family gatherings are giving way to more personal getaways. While 45% still visit family and friends, a growing percentage (36%) prefer to spend the holidays traveling with immediate family, indicating that Americans are seeking quality relationships and shared experiences rather than typical family gatherings.
From award-winning restaurants to cooking classes
At the same time, travelers are increasingly choosing authentic, hands-on experiences over flashy luxury, a choice that reflects both a conscious search for value and a shift toward more affordable experiences. Interest in cooking classes is also skyrocketing, with a share now reaching 19% (up from 15% in 2024), while preference for award-winning restaurants decreased by 13 percentage points, reaching 18%.
World Cup fever
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, 21% of American travelers say they plan to travel to watch the event in person, spending an average of $3,652. For many, the motivation is twofold: an experience of a lifetime and supporting the national team.
Artificial intelligence enters travel
Technology is rapidly changing the way travel is organized. 40% of active travelers have used AI tools like ChatGPT to plan a trip, up 10 percentage points in a year.
Millennials and parents are the biggest adopters, leveraging AI for activity recommendations. However, human experience still prevails: travelers are more than twice as likely to trust expert recommendations as algorithms.
