Global Booking Anxiety: the U.S., Europe and Asia Pacific

Summary

Booking anxiety is reshaping how consumers search, book and assess travel and events, and it is grounded in experience—more than half of Asia Pacific travelers and at least 45% of European and U.S. travelers had a travel or event disruption in the past 12 months. Consumers counter that anxiety by buying travel insurance, researching longer before booking, choosing refundable options, avoiding destinations or events and booking closer to the date, with anxiety peaking at checkout. Knowing that a full refund is available if plans fall through is the top confidence booster in every market, though the preferred mechanism varies: Asia Pacific travelers lean toward a lower price with optional refund protection added at low cost, while U.S. and European travelers prefer a higher price with free cancellation. Refund protection also carries a measurable commercial upside, lifting the likelihood of using the same platform again in the U.S. (57%), the U.K. (49%) and China (39%).

This report is based on online surveys fielded in May 2026 among travelers in the U.S., U.K., France, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, South Korea, China and Japan who are aged 18 or over, play an active role in planning their leisure trips and travel internationally on a regular basis. It examines how travelers research, choose and book trips, including the roles of booking anxiety, disruption experience, flexibility, refund protection and event ticketing in shaping travel behavior and future intent.