The Tale of Two Older Adult Travel Surveys for Older Adults

Published on October 26, 2026

As the winter holidays approach, two reports spotlighting older adult travelers were released in October.  Washington, D.C.-based AARP published its October 2026 Holiday Travel Survey, “Holiday Travel is About Getting Together, Not Getting Away,” which closely examines how older adults balance family traditions and hosting duties against rising costs. The new report’s data builds on AARP’s Travel Trends reports from 2024, 2025, and earlier this year.  These reports track how travel budgets, behaviors, and motivations change for adults aged 50 and older.

The other survey, released by Denver-based Luggage Forward, a global provider of door-to-door luggage and sports equipment delivery, takes a close look at the travel preferences of Americans aged 55 and older.

Zeroing in on Holiday Trips

According to the newly released 4-page AARP travel report, nearly one in four adults aged 50 and older (24%) expect to travel during the upcoming holiday season. For those planning trips, holiday travel is less about taking a vacation and more about spending time with family. With costs rising, these travelers are carefully watching their budgets and making trade-offs to afford family trips.

Researchers collected data through online and telephone interviews conducted September 17–21, 2026, with 1,023 U.S. adults aged 50 and older, using NORC at the University of Chicago’s Foresight 50+ panel. These statistics were weighted to reflect the nation’s population aged 50 and older.

Family remains the driving force behind holiday travel decisions. Two-thirds (67%) of holiday travelers say spending time with family is their main reason for traveling. In comparison, 27% cite getting away from everyday life and 25% say they travel to relax and rejuvenate.

“The holidays are an important time for families to be together, and older adults are finding thoughtful ways to make those trips possible,” said Carey Kyler, Senior Director of Research & Insights at AARP Services, Inc., in an Oct. 21 statement.

“Costs are a real concern, so many are planning carefully and making tradeoffs to spend meaningful time with the people they love,” she said.

The study’s findings show that cost is still a major factor in travel decisions. More than one-third (37%) of holiday travelers aged 50 and over expect to spend more on holiday travel than last year, and 43% anticipate spending at least $2,000 on holiday-related travel.

Kyler says the newly released 2026 AARP Holiday Travel Survey doesn’t distinguish whether inflation, transportation prices, accommodations, trip length, or other factors drive higher spending. However, it does show that travel costs are the leading concern (52%) among holiday travelers. Other concerns cover safety (22%), health (15%), and airport security (13%).

“While we didn’t ask about the source of funding for trips on this particular survey, our annual 2026 AARP Travel Trends survey shows that most 50-plus travelers (86%) identify travel as one of their top three priorities for discretionary income,” she says.

“Despite cost concerns, nearly two-thirds of adults 50-plus say they planned to travel in 2026. Instead of pulling back, travelers are adapting – planning earlier, comparison shopping, and leaning on loyalty programs and digital tools to stretch their travel dollars,” she added.

Placing a High Value on Family Connection

The AARP report also found that nearly one in five holiday travelers (18%) expect to spend $5,000 or more on holiday travel.

“While it’s not surprising that older adults continue to place a high value on family connection during the holidays, seeing the concern about costs (52%) but that still nearly 1 in 5 (18%) plan to spend more than $5000 on holiday travel shows that the desire to spend time with family, bring loved ones together, and create intergenerational memories continues to be a strong driver of travel decisions,” says Kyler.

According to the findings, more than one-third (36%) are concerned about flight delays. Nearly four in ten holiday travelers (38%) expect to spend more on travel than on holiday gifts.

The report also indicated that three in ten adults 50-plus (29%) say keeping family traditions would make holiday travel worthwhile. Additionally, 34% typically host family or friends at home during the holidays, while 28% either travel to see loved ones every year or alternate between hosting and traveling.

But what about older adults who won’t be traveling during the holidays? Are they staying home because of costs, health concerns, or simply because they prefer to host family gatherings?

“While the survey does not ask non-travelers why they’re staying home, we know that the most often cited travel concern is travel costs (52%), and the top reasons for making holiday travel worthwhile are ‘travel to spend time with family’ (67%), ‘having loved ones together in one place’ (52%), ‘making memories among generations’ (35%), and ‘reconnecting with people I don’t see often’ (32%),” says Kyler.

Since 2015, AARP has conducted travel research to better understand older travelers’ changing needs and choices.

“Our travel research helps us understand what motivates older travelers, what challenges they encounter, and how their needs are changing,” says Kyler. She notes that family connection is an important part of travel, and looking specifically at holiday travel provides another way to understand how travel fits into the lives of people 50-plus.

Bucket List Destinations Big for Older Travelers

While AARP’s report focuses on holiday travel and family connections, Luggage Forward’s newly released survey looks at what older Americans want from travel year-round.

According to the company’s findings, older Americans want cultural discovery, bucket-list destinations, and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. For some, these experiences matter more than finding the least expensive vacation.

Commissioned by Luggage Forward and conducted by Propeller Insights in May 2026, the survey questioned more than 1,000 U.S. adults aged 55 and older.

According to the company, respondents were representative of the U.S. population by age, gender, region, and ethnicity. The company stated a maximum margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.

“Older Americans are anxious to explore, finally visiting the destinations they’ve dreamed about, spending meaningful time with loved ones and enjoying experiences they may not have had time for earlier in life,” said Audrey Kohout, co-CEO of Luggage Forward, in an Oct. 15 statement announcing the survey’s findings. “Making those trips happen means removing unnecessary friction along the way. When logistics aren’t the primary focus, the road ahead becomes that much more rewarding.”

Kohout said the company’s own customers inspired it to look more closely at older travelers. Understanding what drives this group is important, she explained, noting that people aged 55 and older now have more time and money to travel than past generations.

“This survey stresses the actual pain points they face and tests common assumptions about senior travel against real data,” Kohout said.

“The research shows a group that favors bucket-list experiences, travels strictly on its own terms, and still relies heavily on Google and personal recommendations rather than AI tools,” adds Kohout.

The findings show that rest remains important to older travelers. More than half (59%) identified rest as a travel priority, followed closely by visiting family and maintaining relationships (55%). Comfort and ease were important to 40% of respondents.

But that doesn’t mean older Americans aren’t interested in exploring new places. More than one-third cited new cultural and instructional experiences (35%) and visiting bucket-list destinations before it’s too late (35%) as reasons for traveling. Another 31% were motivated by once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

In comparison, 22% of the survey respondents cited value-conscious travel. For some older travelers, the experience itself may matter more than getting the best price.  Road trips remain popular, with 67% of respondents preferring them, followed by beach vacations (58%) and city breaks (48%).

According to the survey findings, solo travel is even more popular than taking trips with friends. Traveling with a spouse remains the most common arrangement, with 75% saying they take trips with their partners. However, 21% report traveling alone, compared with 16% who travel with friends. Organized group tours are much less popular, with only 3% of respondents booking these trips.

Mixed Feelings About Cruising

The Luggage Forward survey also found that older travelers have mixed feelings about cruising.

Only 11% of respondents say cruising is a top travel priority, while 10% report that their interest in cruises has declined as they’ve gotten older. Nearly one-quarter (24%) say they oppose cruising.

Still, cruising remains in many older adults’ travel plans. According to the researchers, 42% plan to take a cruise at least once or twice a year.

The findings also show that not all older travelers are planning international trips. Italy, Australia, and Canada emerged as top international destinations respondents hope to visit over the next year. However, 42% say they do not plan to book an international vacation during that period. Luggage Forward suggests that overseas costs and international concerns may influence those decisions.

When it comes to planning a trip, older Americans aren’t necessarily turning to the newest technology.

While artificial intelligence is increasingly being used to gather information, 57% of respondents say they use Google to plan vacations. Another 53% rely on recommendations from family and friends, while 46% use online travel sites such as Expedia and TripAdvisor.

Only 11% say they use AI tools to plan their vacations, making it the least-used planning method among those listed.

The survey also asked what would encourage older travelers to try new travel services. Nearly two-thirds (64%) cited recommendations from people they know, followed by an easy, transparent booking process (44%) and online reviews on sites such as Google or Trustpilot (43%).

While AARP and Luggage Forward looked at older travelers from different perspectives, both surveys show that family remains an important reason for traveling. They also found that costs are a concern, although older adults are not necessarily giving up their travel plans.

Whether it’s spending the holidays with your family, taking a road trip, or finally visiting your bucket-list destination they’ve dreamed about for years, older Americans still want to travel. For some, it’s about seeing new places. For others, it’s about spending time with family and friends. Sometimes, it’s a little of both.

Holiday Insights: Download the latest AARP Holiday Travel Survey. Go to: Family Remains the Driving Force Behind Holiday Travel

2026 Trends: Review the AARP 2026 Travel Trends Survey at

2026 Travel Trends: A Survey of U.S. Adults Age 50-Plus

2025 Trends: Access the AARP 2025 Travel Trends Survey.  Details at

2025 Travel Trends: A Survey of U.S. Adults Age 50-Plus

2024 Trends:  Check out the AARP 2024 Travel Trends Survey findings at

2024 Travel Trends

Silver Wave of Older Voters Important in Midterm Elections

Published in RINewsToday on October 19, 2026

Over the last four months, AARP has released polling results from nine battleground states to gauge candidate preferences, voter motivation, and the aging issues and policies that voters age 50 and older consider important when deciding who to vote for in the upcoming midterm elections.

AARP conducted the 2026 polls in Ohio (June), Georgia (July), Arizona and Michigan (August), Alaska, Maine, North Carolina and Texas (September), and New Hampshire (October).

Now, just weeks before the November midterms, AARP has released its final report, “Targeted Congressional District (TCD) Voter Survey,” highlighting the outsized role older American voters could play in deciding key congressional races. As with its previous nine state polls, AARP commissioned the bipartisan polling team of Fabrizio Ward (R) and Impact Research (D) to conduct the survey.

The 21-page report examines voters in 43 congressional districts rated Toss Up, Lean Republican or Lean Democrat by the Cook Political Report. Its findings show that older voters are particularly concerned about rising prices, especially the cost of groceries and gasoline, as Election Day approaches.

The poll covering 43 competitive congressional districts, found these leading issues among voters age 50 and older:

  1. Rising prices and affordability
  2. Threats to democracy
  3. Immigration

Among persuadable voters 50-plus (21%), the priorities were different:

  1. Rising prices and affordability
  2. Social Security and Medicare
  3. Taxes

“Older voters are the nation’s most reliable voters. They decide elections, so candidates can’t afford to overlook them,” said Nancy LeaMond, AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer, in an Oct. 15, 2026 statement announcing the report’s findings. “Older voters want leaders who will protect Social Security and Medicare, support family caregivers, and ensure everyone can age with financial independence and dignity,” she said.

Research over time has shown that older voters make up a large part of the electorate and have a major impact on election results nationwide. Exit polls found that voters age 50 and older cast 55% of all ballots in 2024 and 59% in 2022. In the last midterm election, more than six out of ten older voters went to the polls, compared to about three out of ten voters under 30.

Latest findings suggest that older voters will continue showing up at the polls. Eighty-three percent of voters age 50 and older said they were extremely motivated to vote in November, compared to 66% of voters under 50. About 21% of older voters are considered “persuadable,” meaning they are not firmly committed to either party’s congressional candidate.

The pollsters also looked at the country’s mood and voters’ financial situations. The findings were not encouraging. Sixty-two percent believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, while 59% are worried about their personal finances.

The report shows Democrats holding a slim 3-point lead (49% to 46%) on the generic congressional ballot in the 43 competitive districts, with 5% undecided. President Trump carried these districts by 6 points in 2016.

But these findings show a clear generational divide:

* Republicans lead by 10 points (53% to 43%) among voters age 50 and older – while…

* Democrats lead by 26 points (60% to 34%) among voters under 50.

Looking at race:

* Republicans hold a 4-point advantage among white voters, while

* Democrats lead among Hispanic voters by 15 points and Black voters by 43 points.

Education also plays a role:

* Democrats are doing better among college graduates than among voters without four-year degrees.

The pollsters found that persuadable voters remain closely divided.

* Democrats lead by 6 points (42% to 36%) among persuadable voters overall, while…

* Republicans hold just a 1-point advantage (39% to 38%) among persuadable voters age 50 and older.

* Another 23% of these older voters remain undecided.

Top Issues of Concern

Not surprisingly, rising prices and affordability top the list of concerns for older voters in these competitive congressional districts, followed by threats to democracy and immigration.

For persuadable voters age 50 and older, the top three issues influencing their vote are rising prices and affordability, Social Security and Medicare, and taxes.

Looking more closely at Social Security, 58% of older voters say the program is or will be a major source of household income. An overwhelming 94% say they would be more likely to support a candidate who ensures they receive the Social Security benefits they earned through a lifetime of work.

On health care, 85% say they would be more likely to support a candidate who expands Medicare’s ability to negotiate prescription drug prices.

Caregiving is another important issue. Half of older voters surveyed say they are or have been family caregivers. At the same time, 77% would be more likely to support a candidate who provides a tax credit to help cover the costs of unpaid family caregiving.

Affordability. And when it comes to rising prices, groceries and gasoline remain the two biggest concerns.

Taking a Look at Gray Power at the Polls

Darrell West, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Brown University professor, agrees with the findings of AARP’s latest survey. Older voters have become a crucial swing group that could shape this year’s election, he says.

West explains that seniors don’t vote as a monolith. They regularly shift their votes between Republicans and Democrats. Ultimately, their choices in November may come down to how well candidates protect the programs they rely on most, particularly Social Security and Medicare.

“This invaluable poll illustrates that seniors and older adults matter,” says Max Richtman, President and CEO of the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare (NCPSSM). “Seniors will be the largest block of voters, and politicians ignore them at their own peril,” he warns.

“Seniors, who are more likely to live on a fixed income, have been especially hurt by Trump’s affordability crisis. This underlines the importance of Social Security in this election. This is why we say ‘Social Security is on the Ballot!’” stresses Richtman.

Richtman estimates that voters age 65 and older will account for more than 30% of the electorate. While Republicans have historically enjoyed an advantage among these voters, Democrats have narrowed that gap in recent elections, he says.

“Supporting Social Security is both good policy and good politics,” Richtman claims, pointing to the poll’s finding that 94% of older voters are more likely to support candidates who protect their Social Security benefits.

While AARP is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that does not endorse political candidates, NCPSSM’s political action committee does.

According to Richtman, NCPSSM-PAC has endorsed and supported more than 50 candidates nationwide, including Josh Turek (Iowa), Dan Osborne (Nebraska), Abdul El-Sayed (Michigan), Roy Cooper (North Carolina) and Jon Ossoff (Georgia).

NCPSSM also compiles a congressional scorecard to inform older Americans about how votes in Washington affect Social Security, Medicare and other programs important to them. Based on the organization’s legislative priorities, Democrats generally receive higher scores than Republicans.

Richtman notes that NCPSSM-PAC has been busy educating voters about the stakes of this election through its “Social Security on the Ballot” mobilization campaign. Its message is that the lawmakers elected this November will help determine Social Security’s future and whether beneficiaries receive the benefits they have paid for. The organization is getting that message out through town halls, press conferences, social media, and traditional media appearances. It also works with candidates and campaigns on policy issues affecting older Americans.

Meanwhile, AARP continues its own voter education efforts through its “Social Security, Your Vote, Its Future” initiative, asking congressional candidates how they would protect and strengthen the program.

The nation’s largest organization representing older Americans also provides research and analysis on Social Security policies, works with federal officials and members of Congress, and organizes public education efforts to inform and mobilize its members.

Through its “I Am a Social Security Voter” campaign, AARP encourages voters to prioritize protecting Social Security when evaluating candidates.

AARP’s latest report suggests that in tightly contested congressional districts, the “silver wave” of older voters may be the deciding factor in who goes to Washington and who stays home.

Stay tuned…

The survey was conducted by AARP’s bipartisan polling group, Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research, and interviewed 1,368 likely voters in 43 competitive congressional districts between October 1 and 5, 2026, using a combination of cell phone, landline, and a text-to-web survey in both English and Spanish; the margin of sampling error is ±2.7 percentage points.

Full Survey Results: AARP’s 2026 Targeted Congressional District Voter Poll; go to Targeted Congressional District Voter Survey.

For AARP’s 2026 Midterm Election Polls, go to Older Voters in the 2026 Midterm Elections in Battleground States.

Just Days Away: Social Security to Announce 2027 COLA Increase

Published in RINewsToday on October 12, 2026

In just a few days, nearly 279,000 Rhode Islanders who rely on Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will learn how much their monthly checks will increase in 2027 when the Social Security Administration (SSA) announces next year’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Social Security recipients will see the increase in January, while SSI recipients will receive their adjusted payments on Dec. 31, 2026, because New Year’s Day is a federal holiday. The additional income will help them keep pace with rising costs.

Older Rhode Island beneficiaries will be joining 75 million Americans—including roughly 71 million Social Security beneficiaries and between 7.3 and 7.5 million SSI recipients—awaiting this highly anticipated news.

SSA is expected to announce the official 2027 COLA on Wednesday, Oct. 14, following the release of September inflation data by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to the Virginia-based The Senior Citizens League (TSCL), the SSA’s COLA for 2026 was 2.8 percent, somewhat higher than the 2.5 percent COLA implemented at the start of 2025. TSCL predicts that the COLA for 2027 will tick up to 3.5 percent.  AARP experts project an even higher COLA increase for 2027 than TSCL estimates, at 3.6 percent.

Congress enacted the COLA provision as part of the 1972 Social Security Amendments, and automatic annual COLAs began in 1975, says SSA, noting that before then Congress could only increase this benefit through special legislation.  The new provision tied COLAs to the annual increase of the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W).

SSA calculates the COLA by comparing the average CPI-W for July, August and September with the average for the same three months of the previous year.  The percentage is rounded to the nearest tenth of one percent and determines the annual adjustment.

With the 3.5 percent projection, the average beneficiary’s monthly benefit increases by $67.90. The current average beneficiary receives $1,940.08 in their monthly Social Security check. With a 3.5 percent COLA, that would rise to $ 2,007.98, estimates TSCL

If TSCL’s calculation holds, the 2027 COLA would land right in the middle of the ranking historically—ranking 19th among all COLA adjustments since the federal government started using its current inflation math in 1977. By comparison, the recent boost seniors received at the start of 2026 was a bit more modest, tying for 27th place.

“The biggest thing we’re watching with the COLA announcement coming are short-term shocks to the economy that push inflation way up or down in the next 30 days. Of the three CPI-W figures used to calculate the COLA, two are already in,” said TSCL Executive Director Shannon G. Benton in a statement releasing the 2027 estimated projections.

“No matter if the COLA announcement comes in slightly higher or slightly lower than our prediction, seniors will probably end up disappointed in the long run,” said Benton, noting that older Americans allocate their budgets differently than people still in the workforce, so inflation hits them differently. The consumer price index (CPI) captures the experience of urban wage earners, which doesn’t represent the average senior’s budget, she adds.

“The COLA only happening once a year puts life on hold for a lot of seniors. When prices rise, they don’t rise next January when your benefit check goes up. They rise right now. We need to consider COLAs that compound quarterly or monthly so seniors can keep up throughout the year when inflation comes in above Federal Reserve targets, like in 2026,” adds Benton.

Advocates Push for CPI-E Index

In a recent AARP Sept. 11 blog post, “Social Security COLA 2027: An Early Look at How Much Payments Could Increase,” writer Deirdre Shesgreen interviewed Rich Johnson, the vice president for financial security at the AARP Public Policy Institute. Johnson emphasized that the organization’s COLA forecast is meant to give older adults a head start on managing their 2027 finances.  “Family budgets have been under increasing pressure because of rising prices,” Johnson noted. “The sooner that we can give them reliable information as to how much their benefits might [increase next year], the sooner they can start planning,” he said.

“Most seniors depend on Social Security for some or all of their income, and the program’s annual Cost of Living Adjustments (COLAs) for inflation help keep them from falling behind,” says Max Richtman, President & CEO, National Committee to Preserve Social Security & Medicare, noting that even the estimated 3.5-3.6% increase will barely be enough for seniors to tread water.

“That’s because the COLA is based on an inflation index that does not account for the impact of inflation on seniors’ true expenses, especially health care costs – which are rising faster than the general inflation rate,” said Richtman, calling for the adoption of the CPI-E (Consumer Price Index for the Elderly).  This CPI index is designed to better reflect older American’s spending patterns.

“What we know is that when the COLA is announced, it will be far too low to make up for the crushing prices everybody is facing right now. But seniors and those on fixed incomes are being crushed the hardest,” said Alex Lawson, Executive Director of Social Security Works.

His concerns come as Census Bureau figures show that the poverty rate among Americans aged 65 and older rose from 9.4 percent in 2020 to 15.4 percent in 2025, according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure, which accounts for medical expenses and other living costs.

“And still Republican proposals, when we see them, include provisions to cut back on the COLA, which is just a cruel benefit cut. We need to expand Social Security, increase benefits, raise the COLA, and pay for it by having billionaires pay the same rate on all of their income into Social Security. Just like the rest of us do,” argued Lawson.

Improving SSA’s Benefit Calculation Formula

TSCL advocates for the Social Security 2100 Act, legislation championed by Congressman John Larson (D-Connecticut), first introduced in 2017 and reintroduced in 2026.

Lawmakers reintroduced this legislative proposal to provide long-term relief to seniors losing buying power due to high inflation.  The bill would raise benefits by 2%, set the new minimum benefit to 125% of the Federal poverty line, change the COLA calculation to the CPI for the Elderly (CPI-E), and improve the benefits calculation formula, said TSCL.

“Although the Social Security 2100 Act is unlikely to pass in the current Congress, it should.  The bill is the gold standard for Social Security reform and accomplishes the majority of changes older Americans want to see in the program,” says TSCL’s Benton in a statement released on July 14. “The reality is that poverty is increasing rapidly among American seniors, who make up the fastest-growing portion of the homeless population. Adjusting the minimum benefit to above the Federal poverty line would almost certainly slow this trend, although more holistic efforts may be required to stop it entirely,” she says.