Travel Mulligan: The Trips People Wish They Could Do Over

Even the most carefully planned vacations don’t always go as expected. Our survey found that 93% of travelers regret at least one trip, while nearly a third (31%) regret two or more, suggesting that for many travelers this is rarely a one-off experience.

Most travel regrets are linked to trips taken in people’s 20s. During this stage of life, many travelers are often navigating independent travel for the first time, experimenting with new destinations or planning trips with tighter budgets and less experience.

When travelers are most likely to regret a trip:

This is even more noticeable in countries like Hungary, Portugal and South Africa, where 60% of respondents report their most regretted trip happened in their 20s. Americans are also most likely to look back negatively on trips they took in their 20s, though a quarter say the trip they regret most was when they were 40 or older.

While regret is widespread, its prevalence varies by country. Travelers in South Africa report the highest level of travel regret, with 98% saying they have taken a trip they later wished had gone differently. Mexico and Brazil follow closely behind, with 96% of travelers in both countries reporting at least one regretful trip.

Even in countries where levels are lower, regret remains widespread. In Greece and France, 87% and 90% of travelers respectively say they have experienced it at least once, highlighting how widespread travel regret is globally.

In some countries, these experiences are not only common but also repeated. In Brazil, for example, 7% of travelers say they can recall at least four trips they regret.

Not all types of vacations carry the same risk of regret. Family holidays are the trips travelers are most likely to look back on with mixed feelings, with over a quarter (27%) saying their most regretted trip fell into this category. When breaking this down further, these experiences are most commonly linked to trips taken with parents or extended family (18%), compared to those taken with a partner or children (9%).

Family trips often come with added expectations and pressures, from coordinating schedules and budgets to balancing different travel styles and preferences. With more people involved, there is also more potential for disagreements, logistical challenges or mismatched expectations. Family trips stand out even more in some countries. In Chile, 35% of travelers say their most regretted trip was a family holiday.

Which trips are most likely to be regretted?

Adventure travel follows next, with 15% of travelers pointing to these types of trips. While often rewarding, they also come with less predictability, whether due to physical demands, weather conditions or logistics. City breaks follow closely behind at 12%, suggesting that even short trips can sometimes leave travelers feeling rushed, overwhelmed or unable to fully enjoy the destination.

Other experiences linked to regret include romantic getaways (8%), solo trips (6%) and backpacking trips (6%), all of which can often carry high personal expectations or require more independent planning, therefore increasing the risk of trips not going to plan.

While every trip is different, the reasons behind travel mistakes and disappointing travel experiences fall into a few familiar patterns. The most common is simply that something went wrong during the trip, which was mentioned by 17% of travelers. This can include unexpected disruptions such as cancellations, illness, logistical problems or other unforeseen complications that derail travel plans.

Poor planning follows closely, with 14% of respondents saying their regret stemmed from not preparing properly for the trip. Whether it’s booking the wrong accommodation, underestimating travel times or trying to pack too much into a short itinerary, planning missteps can quickly turn an exciting vacation into a stressful experience.

Feeling too overwhelmed is equally common (13%), highlighting how packed itineraries, busy destinations and travel fatigue can take away from the experience, while choosing the wrong travel companions contributed to a negative experience for 11% of respondents.

Over one in six travelers (16%) say they still regret a trip to this day, showing that disappointing travel experiences don’t always fade with time. Nearly two thirds admit they’d take a “mulligan” and redo the trip differently, while 30% would choose a completely different trip.

When it comes to what people would do differently, one in five say they’d plan in more d etail. Others say they’d prioritize comfort when traveling (13%), from selecting better flights, more convenient transport options, or accommodation that allows them to relax rather than feel rushed.

Particularly for trips taken early in life, comfort is often the first thing that’s deprioritized to help cut costs.

Managing expectations is another key takeaway, with 11% of travelers saying they would set more realistic expectations, while 9% would pay closer attention to choosing the right travel companions.

For most travelers, these lessons don’t just remain hypothetical, as 74% say their past experience has influenced how they approach planning holidays today.

Travel is often one of the biggest discretionary expenses people make, so when a trip doesn’t live up to expectations, the financial impact can be significant.

On average, travelers estimate that around $881 of their trip spending wasn’t worth it.
While individual experiences may vary, most admit the financial impact was relatively modest. More than a third (35%) estimate that less than $500 of their trip spending wasn’t worth it, while 26% say they lost between $500 and $999. However, nearly a third of travelers say they wasted $1,000 or more on a vacation they look back on negatively, including 13% who believe the value of their regret exceeded $2,000.

Only 6% report that none of the money spent on their trip felt wasted, suggesting that even when trips don’t go perfectly, some people feel at least some part of the experience was worthwhile.