The Power of Escape: Why Travel Remains One of the World's Most Effective Rewards

Economic uncertainty. Rising costs. Geopolitical instability.

If you read the headlines, marketing leaders would be forgiven for assuming consumers were falling out of love with travel.

But new survey data from American Express Travel shows that 80% of global respondents planned to take the same or more international trips in 2026 compared to last year.

It’s clear that people still have a strong desire to travel, but how and why they choose to do it is changing.

In TLC Worldwide's latest guide, The Power of Escape, we explore why travel is so resilient – and what this means for brands looking to drive acquisition, loyalty, and engagement.

For over three decades, travel has been one of our most popular reward categories at TLC.

Throughout that time, consumer behaviors, technologies, economic conditions, and marketing trends have continued to evolve. Against such a volatile backdrop, it’s easy to underestimate the importance of travel as a reward category – but travel is much more resilient than many people might think.

Especially when so many of us value experiences that offer a welcome bit of escapism from our everyday lives.

We’ve studied the market, dug deep into the data, and distilled our findings into this guide – along with some standout results of travel rewards in action around the world.