The travel industry, like most sectors, is in a constant state of evolution, shaped by new technologies and shifting consumer expectations. With a new year on the horizon, we set out to understand what motivates today’s traveler.
Our most recent survey, The Modern Traveler 2025: Decoding the preferences, motivations, and trends in booking and travel, reveals just how quickly and extensively the landscape is changing.
In this new era, travelers are making strategic tradeoffs to afford trips; social media is king when it comes to inspiration for younger generations; and consumers expect travel discovery and booking to offer the same level of personalization they’re accustomed to in other aspects of their life, like e-commerce and streaming.
For brands that want to succeed in travel, understanding this shift is critical.
The Value-Driven Mindset: Making Travel a Priority
Despite inflation and economic uncertainty, demand for travel remains strong. Instead of canceling trips, people are tightening budgets and traveling more strategically. Our report shows that 63% of travelers are cutting back on dining out or shopping to make trips possible.
But they’re not just chasing the cheapest option. Travelers want experiences that feel worthwhile, and many are willing to pay more for comfort and convenience (26%), safety (16%), and quality accommodations (15%).
Price once dominated the competition, but that is no longer enough. To stand out, brands must deliver value that extends beyond cost. Travelers want trips that feel tailored, rewarding, and worth the investment.
The Social Shift: A New Era of Travel Influence
The influence of social media and creators is rewriting the rules of travel inspiration. While recommendations from friends and family remain powerful, social media now leads the way. Fifty-two percent of Gen Z and 46% of Millennials cite it as their top source of inspiration. Even more striking, 62% of Gen Z say influencers significantly shape their travel decisions.
Instagram and TikTok are no longer just mood boards. They are active drivers of where people go and how they book.
However, the handoff from inspiration to booking remains a challenge. While platforms like Instagram and TikTok are fueling discovery, travelers are still encountering friction when they go to book, whether through loyalty platforms or travel sites. Hidden fees (31%), poor customer service (12%), and security concerns (12%) are the top frustrations.
The takeaway? Social commerce holds massive potential for travel, but to meet rising expectations, the entire booking journey, across all touchpoints, must become more transparent, intuitive, and trustworthy.
The Future of Travel is Seamless and Personalized
Technology has turned trip planning into a multi-step, multi-platform journey. Instead of moving linearly from idea to booking, travelers bounce between inspiration, research, comparison, and planning. Expectations are only climbing. They want this process to be as effortless and personalized as shopping on Amazon or queuing up Netflix.
Our survey confirms it: more than half of travelers expect brands to anticipate their needs based on past interactions, and most are willing to share more personal data for a better experience.
AI is poised to deliver, enabling personalization at scale and surfacing the right options at the right moment.
A New Standard for Travel Booking
Today’s traveler is emotionally invested in their journeys, but practical about how they spend. They lean on creators for authentic inspiration and demand seamless, personalized experiences that remove friction from the travel journey.
This isn’t just a trend. It’s the new baseline for engagement. Success will require the travel ecosystem—that includes payment providers, rewards program operators, travel brands, and even social media platforms—to break down silos, collaborate more effectively, and build journeys that deliver value from inspiration through booking.
The future of travel is being shaped by consumers who expect more: More value. More influence. More personalization.
To explore these insights in greater depth and uncover actionable strategies for the year ahead, download the full report here.
Want more news and insights from iSeatz? Sign up for our newsletter!
To learn more about our work in travel technology, contact us here.