Travel in 20AARP released 2025 Travel Trends research revealing a significant rise in the percentage of adults age 50 and older who plan to travel—surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The study also highlights a growing preference for domestic air travel, suggesting easing inflationary pressures.
“We are delighted to see that travel is back in full swing for older adults,” said Patty David, Vice President of Consumer Insights for AARP. “Spending time with family and friends is a primary motivator for adults 50 and older to travel. And it’s no surprise what benefits travel provides to older adults: Almost all respondents indicated that travel is good for their mental and physical health.”
More than half (56%) of respondents said spending time with family or friends was a top motivator for travel. Many also see travel as an opportunity to escape daily routines or focus on rest and relaxation.
In 2024, adults 50 and older took more trips than anticipated for the first time – the highest in four years. Older adults anticipated taking 3.6 trips on average, but actually took 3.9 trips on average. Adults 50-plus remain conservative in their anticipated number of trips in 2025 – about 3.6 on average.
Though planned trips are on the rise, cost remains the main barrier to travel in 2025. Total anticipated spending, however, remains steady year over year at approximately $6,800, on average.
More major findings from the survey:
- The most popular domestic destinations in 2025 are Florida (15%), California (11%), Las Vegas (6%), New York (6%), Texas (6%) and Arizona (4%).
- Bucket list (22%) and family or multi-generational trips (11%) are the top motivators for international travel.
- Getting assistance from AI for travel planning is slow to take hold, with almost all (98%) being aware of AI, but only 1 in 10 (8%) using it for planning purposes.
- However, of those who did use AI, almost all (94%) said that it was helpful in planning their trip.
AARP Travel, a valuable resource for Americans 50-plus, who spend over $236 billion annually in leisure travel, provides expert travel advice, the latest news and travel insights. AARP.org/travel has a wealth of articles available to anyone on vacation ideas, travel tips, and destinations to make travel simple.
The annual AARP Travel Trends survey examines the travel behaviors, expectations, and planning among adults – this year with a sample size of 2,970 respondents. To view the full 2025 survey results, visit http://www.aarp.org/pri/topics/social-leisure/travel/2025-travel-trends.html.
