Please leave it to the Americans to add a dash of drama to the travel diary. While most of the world is calmly booking holidays and sipping flat whites, travellers in the United States are fretting that Washington’s political theatre might strand them at the gate.
A new Global Rescue Fall 2025 Traveller Safety and Sentiment Survey shows that nearly 40 per cent of U.S. respondents are “very or somewhat concerned” about the impact of the latest government shutdown. Overseas, just 25 per cent of travellers share that worry.
In short: Americans are worried. The rest of the world is watching Netflix.
Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board member, summed it up diplomatically. “The data show that Americans are significantly more alert to the potential impact of the shutdown,” he said. “Concerns centre on the possibility that prolonged closures, especially at smaller consulates and government offices, could delay essential documentation or disrupt travel planning.”
Translation? A long queue at the passport office has never looked so menacing.
Women Worry More – Men Pretend Not To
The gender divide tells its own story. Women were more than twice as likely as men to say they were “very concerned” about shutdown-related travel snags, 22 per cent of women versus 10 per cent of men. Yet, broaden the net to those who were “somewhat” or “slightly” concerned, and both genders converge neatly at 44 per cent.
Perhaps women are simply honest about what men won’t admit: that government paperwork has the power to ruin a holiday faster than a lost suitcase.
Roughly a third of men (32 per cent) and a quarter of women (25 per cent) said they were “not concerned,” though one suspects that declaration might wilt the moment the passport queue hits hour two.
“These findings underscore how government disruptions can shape traveller confidence,” Richards added. “Americans, more than foreign travellers, appear to be watching closely for signs that a prolonged shutdown could affect their mobility and travel security.”
A Crisis in Confidence, Not Just Consulates
The concern isn’t paranoia. A U.S. government shutdown means consular staff can be furloughed, passport processing can crawl, and travel advisory updates can lag. For international travellers, it’s a curiosity; for Americans, it’s a direct hit.
Earlier Global Rescue studies revealed that 83 per cent of frequent travellers expected U.S. policy and economic tensions to drive up travel costs, and more than half were already revising itineraries to avoid bureaucratic fallout (globalrescue.com).
Combined with rising airfares, staff shortages, and a bruised consumer mood, even the hint of a shutdown can send booking engines into a sulk. Airlines and tour operators can’t hedge against politics; only travellers can, by packing patience alongside the passport.
For the Travel Industry, a Warning Light
For the travel sector, the survey is less about fear and more about faith in systems that keep planes flying, borders open, and documents valid. If that faith erodes, bookings follow.
It’s also a reminder that traveller confidence is currency. Lose it; even the most polished marketing campaign can’t lure back the hesitant.
As for America’s anxious travellers, perhaps they’ve earned the right to fuss. After all, when a routine government shutdown can ground your great escape, anxiety isn’t overreaction; it’s common sense.
Still, somewhere in Rome or Singapore tonight, a foreign traveller is glancing at the same headline and wondering what all the fuss is about.
By Michelle Warner
BIO
Michelle Warner is a storyteller with jet fuel in her veins, the sort of woman who could turn a long-haul delay into a lesson in patience and prose. She began her career in media publications, learning the craft of sharp sentences and honest storytelling, before trading deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with several major airlines. Years spent at thirty thousand feet gave her a keen eye for human nature and a deep affection for the grace and grit of travellers everywhere.
Now happily grounded, Michelle has returned to her first love, writing, with the same composure she once brought to a turbulent cabin. Her work combines an editor’s precision with a traveller’s curiosity, weaving vivid scenes and subtle humour into stories that honour the golden age of travel writing. Every line is a small act of civility, polished, poised, and unmistakably human.
