The age of travel by algorithm may be losing altitude. Experienced international travellers are swapping packed itineraries, crowded attractions and social media bragging rights for quieter destinations, better value and journeys that carry genuine personal meaning.
The latest Global Rescue Traveller Sentiment and Safety Survey points to a clear change in traveller priorities. FOMO the fear of missing out is fading. YOLO and JOMO are moving in. Travellers still want the trip of a lifetime; they simply do not want to share every stop with half the internet.
YOLO travel leads the charge
Some 68 per cent of respondents said they were much more or somewhat more interested than a year ago in once-in-a-lifetime experiences, spontaneous travel and bucket-list adventures. A further 29 per cent reported no change, while only 3 per cent were less interested.
Quiet escapes are close behind. Nearly 66 per cent said they were more interested in avoiding crowded tourist destinations, while 34 per cent reported no change. Virtually no respondents reported being less interested in quieter places.
That result will surprise no one who has shuffled through a major attraction at the pace of an airport security queue.
FOMO loses its shine
FOMO-driven travel appears far less appealing. Only 15 per cent of respondents said they were more interested in packing holidays with as many activities as possible. By contrast, 27 per cent were less interested, while 58 per cent reported no change.
Screen-inspired tourism performed even worse. Just 5 per cent said they were more interested in visiting destinations featured in films or television programs. Some 35 per cent were less interested, while 60 per cent reported no change.
“Experienced travelers are becoming more intentional about how they spend their time abroad,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a member of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the US Department of Commerce.
“They’re choosing experiences that are personally meaningful rather than simply popular. Instead of chasing crowds, they’re seeking authenticity, flexibility and memorable experiences.”
For travel agents, tour operators and tourism bodies, the message is plain: sell the experience, not merely the photograph.
Value remains part of the equation
Price still matters. Nearly 31 per cent of travellers said they were more interested in selecting destinations based on value. Another 58 per cent reported no change, while 11 per cent had become less interested in value-led destination choices.
The findings do not suggest that travellers have become timid. Adventure remains firmly on the menu. What has changed is the way people define a successful holiday.
A wildlife encounter, a village stay, a quiet coastal walk or a long lunch with locals may now hold greater appeal than racing through six attractions before noon.
“The survey reflects a maturing traveler mindset,” Richards said. “People aren’t traveling to impress others or recreate what they’ve seen online. They’re traveling to create experiences that matter to them personally. That’s changing where they go, how they plan and what defines a successful trip.”
A clear signal for the travel trade
For the travel industry, this is more than another alphabet soup of trends. It is a sales signal.
Small-group tours, slower itineraries, second-tier cities, local hosts and transparent value propositions are likely to benefit. The strongest travel sellers may be those who help clients do less, experience more and return home with memories rather than needing another holiday.
There is, however, an important editorial caveat. The public release does not provide the survey’s sample size, fieldwork dates or full respondent profile. The findings should therefore be read as a useful indicator of sentiment among Global Rescue’s experienced traveller base, rather than as a definitive measure of every traveller worldwide.
Even so, the direction is clear. People still want a story worth telling. They are simply less interested in telling it while standing shoulder to shoulder with everyone else.
For more information, visit https://www.globalrescue.com.
By: Michelle Warner – © 2026.
Read Time: 3 minutes.
Author Bio:
Michelle Warner has always carried stories the way others carry passports lightly, faithfully, and with purpose. She learned her craft in newsrooms, shaping sentences with care, before swapping deadlines for departures as a flight attendant with some of the world’s great airlines. Years aloft sharpened her eye for character and deepened her fondness for the small, dignified rituals of travel: the quiet kindness of strangers, the poetry of arrival, the patience learned between time zones.
Now grounded by choice, Michelle has come home to writing with the same calm authority she once brought to turbulent cabins. Her prose blends an editor’s discipline with a traveller’s wonder, tinged with humour and reverence for the golden age of travel. Each piece feels like a handwritten boarding pass: gracious, observant, and unmistakably alive.
