Trip Cancellation Rates Low Despite Risks: “Life Is Short – I Don’t Want to Put These Experiences Off”

Regardless of what might be happening around the world, travelers from the U.S. and Canada are unwilling to cancel their trips. In fact, travel remains a priority for the nearly 9 out of 10 North Americans who plan to travel internationally in the next year.

This is according to new research from Insight Guides, a travel company and tailor-made tour operator that has been producing guidebooks for more than 45 years. Insight Guides published its 2026 Travel Trends research earlier this month, based on a survey of over 1,300 travelers from around the globe. The survey, titled The New Travel Resilience, focused on travel intent and booking behavior, exploring how travelers from around the world are responding to geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

Generally speaking, the survey found that travelers in 2026 are unwilling to forgo travel, despite factors like increased costs and flight disruptions. The research points to a growing dedication to travel: For North American travelers, 86% said they planned to travel internationally in the next 12 months and just 3.2% canceled their trips outright.

Instead of delaying or canceling travel plans, the 2026 traveler is willing to adapt. This includes strategies such as choosing closer destinations, booking refundable fares, and booking later. Very few appear willing to sacrifice travel altogether: Over two-thirds (63.9%) said “life is short – I don’t want to put these experiences off.”

Said one respondent: “Life is for living. Don’t let your plans be dictated by the unpredictable world we live in.”

How Travelers Are Adapting to Challenges in 2026

One way that travelers are adapting to uncertainty in 2026 is by making their travel plans more flexible. North American travelers are three times more likely to pay more for a flexible airfare than a low-cost option, and nearly one-third (32.7%) book flexible or refundable fares.

Another strategy is booking travel closer to home. For North Americans, this means that domestic travel is on the rise. The Insight Guides survey found a significant increase in travelers opting for travel within North America: among survey respondents who changed their travel plans, 7.5% originally planned travel within North America, 27.8% ulltimately chose it as their destination.

Travelers are also changing their booking behavior. The survey found that nearly three-quarters (73.5%) of all respondents have altered their booking habits in some way rather than abandon their plans. This includes booking closer to the departure date in response to uncertainty.

“Travel is too important to postpone for most,” said René Frey, CEO of Insight Guides. “Our research shows that when budgets are squeezed or uncertainty rises, most travelers don’t abandon their plans. They adapt them. That’s creating a more resilient traveler.”