Global Travel Trends

American Express has released the 2024 Global Travel Trends Report, revealing three-quarters (76%) of Australians are planning to take up to three vacations in 2024, using spending hacks to get the most out their experiences.  

The report revealed Australians planning on taking a trip in 2024 will spend an average of $9,131 on leisure travel this year, and 65% of Australians plan on travelling solo in 2024.

Bucket list trip/dream vacation (31%), and event specific travel for sporting events or concerts (19%) were revealed as some of the leading reasons driving travel plans for Australians.  

"Booking" after number one  

At least one solo adventure is on the cards for 65% of Australians this year, with 29% looking to treat themselves and 27% looking to take a break from the chaos of day-to-day life as top reasons to consider a solo trip.  

Cruises emerged in the findings as a cost-effective way to travel alone.  

The report has found that 19% of Australians planning on taking a trip in 2024 plan to take a cruise this year and of those planning on booking a cruise, 21% are Gen X and 20% are Millennials.  

13% want to take an all-inclusive trip as a solo trip in an effort to being more budget-friendly. 

More than a third (34%) of Australians consider an expedition cruise to be their 'dream' vacation.  

Corinne Ng, Vice President and General Manager of Travel and Lifestyle Services, American Express Asia Pacific said: "Aussies are favouring the freedom and wellness-benefits of solo travel. Solo travel is a wonderful way to unwind and discover a new hobby. Travelling alone also allows you to take ownership of selecting the perfect destination and gives you the ability to curate the ideal itinerary, catered just for you." 

"Fan" voyage  

Amex's latest 2024 Trendex revealed that over half of Australians (59%) plan to attend more live sporting events compared to last year, a trend which looks to inspire 2024 travel plans too.  

The American Express 2024 Global Travel Trends report revealed that 33% of Australians are interested in travelling for a big sporting/cultural event. With the Olympics on the horizon, Paris (24%) along with New York (32%) and Miami (15%) were among the top sporting destinations for Australians' travel plans.  

Travelling to watch homegrown talent is also on the cards, with 1 in 5 (20%) Australians planning to travel domestically for a sporting event this year.  

Bucket-list ready  

35% of Australians are planning to tick off their bucket-list trip this year as a top reason for planning a major trip in 2024.  

In preparation, 73% agree that they are willing to give up daily expenses, like coffee and food delivery, to save money for their travels, with this figure jumping to 80% among Gen Z and Millennials. 

81% of Australians agree that they are interested in finding the best flight deals to free up spending money on accommodation or upgrades. Opting for multiple cheaper connecting flights over flying direct to a final destination (21%) and flying overnight to avoid additional accommodation costs (18%) are among the top travel hacks for those planning on taking a trip in 2024. 

"A quarter (25%) of those surveyed are planning to use their credit card points to cover travel expenses this year. This is a growing trend we're witnessing among our own Card Members who are increasingly seeking ways to use Membership Rewards points to secure flights, accommodation and other travel perks." concluded Corinne Ng.