Geopolitical tensions, airport disruptions and global travel alerts are causing some Americans to cancel or reconsider international travel.
Global conflicts can disrupt flights even if they are not heading to their destination
International conflicts and foreign policy changes can reshape air travel overnight, forcing longer routes, increasing costs, and potentially causing sudden cancellations and delays.
- Some American travelers are concerned about future international travel due to geopolitical tensions and domestic issues.
- Factors causing concern include the Iran war, the US State Department’s global security alert, and the impact of the recent government shutdown on airport security.
- Despite the concerns, some travelers are moving ahead with their plans, citing the importance of family and cultural experiences.
Every July, Brigitte Charbel and her 7-year-old daughter go on a month-long trip abroad together. However, the current political climate made her mother hesitant to continue the annual tradition.
As an environmental activist, I had booked a trip to the Lake District, Britain’s largest national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This place holds a special place in their hearts as the destination of Charbel’s daughter’s first annual trip when she was 3 years old. Previously, they have been to New Zealand and Nova Scotia.
“I booked my tickets in November, and even then I was a little nervous,” Charbel told USA TODAY. “I think it’s just the overall political climate and what people think about Americans.”
When the Iran war broke out, travel was disrupted, not just in the Middle East. Travelers were told to shelter in place or be stranded on canceled flights. For safety reasons, Charbel said he was hesitant again to make summer travel plans.
A recent issue for U.S. travelers is the strain on staffing at the Transportation Security Administration due to the partial government shutdown. TSA employees have gone weeks without pay, with the highest absenteeism rates and longest security checkpoint lines. Airport lines returned to normal after President Donald Trump signed legislation on March 27 directing federal funds to slush payments to TSA employees.. It is unclear how long this temporary relief will last.
Charbel said she plans to continue traveling in hopes of getting more clarity on government funding by July. On April 2, Congressional Republicans announced a new deal to be voted on in the U.S. House of Representatives, but there is still no clear end in sight to the longest partial shutdown in history. She monitors the news to make final decisions. “If the war spreads to other countries to the point where it’s no longer safe to travel, I would probably reconsider,” she says.
For many Americans, traveling can feel like something up in the air. From the Iran war to government shutdowns to a global security warning from the State Department, people are being forced to consider multiple factors when it comes to their 2026 travel plans, and many are wondering whether it’s worth the risk. In a March 2026 survey by SquareMass, 56% of Americans said they were worried that summer travel would be disrupted.
According to the National Travel and Tourism Administration, the latest data shows that the imbalance between international travel to and from the United States continues, with more Americans traveling abroad than foreign visitors arriving.
The number of international departures of U.S. citizens in the first two months of 2026 increased slightly compared to the same period in 2025, increasing 1.4% in January and 1.5% in February, according to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration.
Conversely, approximately 5.85 million international travelers visited the United States in October, a decrease of 5.7% from the previous year.
NTTO data also shows that Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean remain the top destinations for U.S. travelers, while the largest sources of inbound tourists to the U.S. include Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and South Korea.
With the travel situation in flux, some Americans are moving forward with their travel plans, while others are cutting back on their travel plans.
Fears of slowing down travel
The disruption at airports due to closures was deadly for Americans, who are canceling trips altogether after news broke that soaring airfares and geopolitical tensions could lead to security risks such as sleeper cells.
In a statement to USA TODAY, the U.S. Travel Association acknowledged that “travel anxiety is a real and growing concern, and our new data shows it has become a defining issue for American voters.”
According to aviation analysis firm Sirium, demand for transatlantic travel in the summer is on the decline. Similar data was found on Expedia, where bookings from the US to Europe in July 2026 decreased by 11.19%, based on data from October 7, 2025 to March 14.
For nonprofit consultant and culture writer Dawn Montgomery, travel is an essential part of her job. She found herself flying across the country for consultations up to twice a week. Atlanta professionals made 10 business trips in February alone. In mid-March, she cut her April trips from eight to three, which was, in her words, “a huge jump.”
The decision was made in mid-March after a glimmer of the impact of the closure. She discovered that Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport does not allow domestic flights to pass through the security line in the international terminal. This is her favorite travel hack for short lines. It also took much longer than usual to get through airport security, even with TSA PreCheck and Touchless ID.
“Intuitively, I think because I travel a lot, I know right away when something is wrong,” Montgomery said. “You can find out the energy of a particular airport you frequent.”
She began canceling upcoming domestic trips and soon after saw hours-long lines at airports on the news. “Then I started seeing posts about lines lasting for hours and I thought, there’s no way I’m going to the airport to do that,” she said. Her decision was finally solidified on March 29, when the president sent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to 14 airports to ease congestion.
She added that she has transitioned her consultations to online or within driving distance, and feels privileged to be able to work remotely while the lives of TSA agents continue to be affected by the longest partial shutdown in history. “That shouldn’t happen,” Montgomery said.
With travel canceled until June, Montgomery is wondering when she will next be able to see her son, who is stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy. Typically, she visits him once a year and cashes in the miles she earns on business trips.
“You can’t avoid it.”
Not everyone is giving up on their travel plans. I realized that the reasons to continue with the plan outweighed the downsides. Instead, we adapt as needed.
California-based attorney Ather Khan and his family have three trips planned, including a Caribbean cruise departing from Florida in early April. Khan said he plans to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport at 6 a.m. for a noon flight to avoid problems at the airport.
They also have plans to visit his partner’s family in Russia in June and his own parents in Pakistan in July, with ties to Turkey and Dubai, respectively. The family plans to take them unless the flight is cancelled.
“There’s always something going on there, and you can’t avoid it, right?” he said. “If I was waiting for the perfect time, I would never go.”
Spending time with elderly family members and teenagers is more important than any worries. “This is like the last few summers we spent together,” he said. “You can’t let children be children by postponing. You only have so much time with them before they leave.”
Charbel agrees, saying travel is especially important for families with children. “I think it’s a really good skill to expose (your kids) to different cultures and people different from themselves, if you feel like you can do it and you feel comfortable with it.”
