K&H: Middle-aged people are traveling again: the proportion of those planning to travel abroad is increasing

The desire to travel among middle-aged people is showing a recovery: although the proportion of domestic trips has not yet reached the level of 2022, the interest in foreign trips is growing year by year, according to the K&H Sure Future index, which mapped the plans of 30-59 year-olds for this year in the first quarter.

The most popular form of travel remains the domestic long weekend: 56 percent of respondents think that they will definitely or probably go on a domestic trip of up to 4 nights this year. 29 percent plan a longer domestic vacation of at least 5 nights for this year. Although these values ​​do not represent a major change compared to the beginning of 2025, they significantly exceed the values ​​of 2023, which marked the low point in recent years, when only 46 and 24 percent of middle-aged people planned a shorter or longer domestic vacation. However, according to the results of the research, 68 and 42 percent planned either a shorter or longer domestic vacation in 2022, and overall, the desire to travel domestically shows a gradual recovery from the low level three years ago.

An upswing is also visible in the case of foreign trips. 34 percent of middle-aged people plan a shorter trip abroad, while 27 percent plan a longer vacation abroad in 2026. Both rates are one of the highest in recent years and are already approaching the post-pandemic 2022 levels, according to the research, in which respondents answered their intentions by type of travel, and since they are not planning just one type of trip this year, the overall proportions come to more than 100 percent.

The high season is the high season

According to the research, trips are still mainly planned for summer vacations. 68 percent of short domestic trips are planned for summer, while 33 percent would travel in spring and 25 percent would plan such a trip for autumn. For longer domestic vacations, summer dominates even more: 71 percent of respondents would go on such a trip in summer.

The picture is similar for foreign trips. Almost half of shorter foreign trips, specifically 49 percent, are planned for summer, while 65 percent of longer foreign vacations are also planned for summer. Interestingly, similarly to domestic trips, the role of spring and autumn is quite strong for shorter foreign trips (mentioned by 25 and 26 percent, respectively), which may indicate that many people would travel outside the peak season, with more solid weather and more favorable prices.

Income factor

The research also showed that financial situation significantly influences travel plans. Longer foreign trips are much more common among those with higher incomes than the average 27 percent: 38 percent of them plan such a trip, while this is 24 percent for those with middle incomes, and 17 percent for those with lower incomes. Similar differences can be seen in the case of domestic trips: whether it is a shorter or longer trip, the income level is decisive, and those with higher education and Budapest residents also plan holidays and vacations more often than average.

For how long, how much?

For trips abroad, protection, i.e. taking out travel insurance, is essential, as it constitutes a marginal part of the total cost of the vacation.

According to K&H data, last year the average duration of individual travel insurance was 7 days, and the average premium was 8 thousand forints. In parallel with the increase in the number of trips, more and more people consider travel insurance to be an essential part of the trip, especially in the case of holidays abroad.