Undecided holiday travelers are waiting longer to book

Economic uncertainty and emotional fatigue drive late bookings, creating a window of opportunity for travel marketers

A new CivicScience study shows that most U.S. leisure travelers planning winter holidays have yet to finalize their bookings. The delay, tied to broader emotional and economic uncertainty, leaves marketers with a shrinking but still significant window to capture late-booking travelers.

Key takeaways

• Late-booking trend: Among the 36% of U.S. adults planning to travel this winter, 69% have not yet finalized their trips, and 27% haven’t booked anything at all.
• Flat demand, delayed action: Despite broader economic unease and softer airline demand earlier this year, overall travel intent remains stable compared to 2024.
• Emotional uncertainty: Declining emotional well-being—linked to anxiety and economic caution—is prompting travelers to delay big spending decisions until the last moment.
• Younger, less affluent travelers lead the delay: Those who haven’t booked yet tend to be younger and lower-income, over-indexing on ad-supported streaming platforms and living in urban or suburban areas near airports.
• Marketing opportunity: With many still undecided, brands have a limited but valuable window to target these “travel procrastinators” with timely, data-driven campaigns.
• Timing matters: The next few weeks are critical for marketers to stay visible and influence booking decisions as this undecided group rapidly diminishes.

Ge the full story at MediaPost