Expedia Group Study Reveals Travelers Are High-Value Consumers, Spending $500+ Per Trip On Non-Travel Purchases

SEATTLE — Expedia Group Advertising today released new research revealing how travelers represent a valuable and receptive consumer audience for brands across retail, financial services, beauty, electronics, and beyond. As the advertising arm of Expedia Group's global travel marketplace, Expedia Group Advertising connects brands with millions of travelers across Expedia Group sites and partner publishers through its travel media network.

The study surveyed 3,500 travel decision-makers across seven global markets and found the majority of travelers make meaningful non-travel purchases tied to their trips, spending an average of $500 USD per trip, roughly a quarter of the approximately $2,000 USD travelers spend on the trip itself. The data shows that as travelers plan and take trips, they are actively purchasing across non‑travel categories. Ultimately, this creates a powerful opportunity for brands outside the travel category to reach highly receptive consumers primed to spend.

Travelers buy well beyond the booking

Trip planning doesn't just drive travel spending; it sparks a cascade of shopping across dozens of categories:

• 62% of travelers made a non-travel purchase for their most recent major leisure trip — rising to 75% among Gen Z and 72% among Millennials

• While average spend is $500 USD globally, this is even higher among travelers in the U.S. ($660 USD), France ($650 USD), and Australia ($610 USD)

• Select countries have a higher volume of travelers who made non-travel purchases for their most recent trip, especially in North America with Mexico (83%), the U.S. (64%) and Canada (62%)

The purchase window opens before the bag is packed.

Travelers actively shop at every stage of the journey — before, during, and after the trip. Before departure, the top non-travel purchase categories are:

• Clothing, shoes, and accessories (70%)

• Beauty and personal care (63%)

• Travel gear and equipment (53%)

• Electronics and new technology (39%)

Gen Z travelers over-index across several categories before travelling, compared to the general traveler population: travel gear (60%), electronics (51%), and financial products or services (38%).

During the trip, local retail shopping (66%) and packaged food and drinks (61%) top the list. Notably, the purchase window extends well beyond the return flight. In fact, 72% of travelers who bought something for their trip also made at least one post-trip purchase, rising to 87% among Gen Z. Travelers return feeling inspired, leading to behaviors like:

• Shopping online for foods and drinks they discovered while traveling (40%)

• Seeking out clothing or accessories from newly discovered brands (30%)

• Documenting travel by purchasing photo printing, books, or frames (27%).

Travelers are open to relevant advertising

For brand and agency marketers, one of the study's most actionable findings is how positively travelers respond to non-travel advertising in travel environments. The majority are comfortable seeing advertisements for relevant categories on travel websites and apps. Consumers say the offers give them useful ideas and inspiration (60%), remind them of things they need to purchase (58%), and help save money on products they would have purchased anyway (57%).

Travel planning is one of the most powerful consumer intent signals available today. Our research shows the opportunity travel creates extends far beyond the trip itself. When consumers begin planning a trip, they enter a sustained period of high-intent purchasing across a variety of categories. They're not just open to relevant advertising at this moment, but find it genuinely useful. For brands outside of travel, this is an audience worth reaching, and Expedia Group Advertising gives them the tools to do it at scale.

Jennifer Andre, Vice President, Sales, Expedia Group Advertising

Travelers discover new brands on the road — especially luxury ones

The research surfaces a significant brand discovery opportunity. Seventy-three percent of travelers say they discover new luxury or premium brands they weren't previously familiar with while traveling, with 29% saying this happens often or on almost every trip. Among Gen Z, that rises to 84%, with 40% discovering new luxury brands frequently.

When travelers plan, they also rethink how they pay

Trip planning is a natural moment for financial decision-making, and the data shows that travelers are open to diverging from their current financial providers to pay for travel. Travelers fund their trips in a variety of ways:

• 48% pay in full via debit card or bank account

• 41% use a credit card paid off right away

• 27% carry a balance on a credit card

• 19% use loyalty points or miles

• 13% use a buy now, pay later (BNPL) plan — rising to 19% among Gen Z.

Consumers are also flexible with buy now, pay later plans. Only 17% of users always stick with the same provider, while 48% have preferences but will switch based on what's offered, and 35% will use whichever option is available at checkout. This range of payment choices shows travelers are open to switching providers, opening a clear opportunity for financial institutions to win high-value customers.

To learn about insights for specific markets, age groups, and travel categories, read the full findings here.

Methodology

The research was conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Expedia Group among 3,500 travel decision-makers across the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, Japan, Mexico, and Australia. Analysis focused on the 2,166 respondents who reported making at least one non-travel purchase specifically because of a recent trip. The survey was fielded February 24–25, 2026.