Cash-Rich Ultra Luxury Travelers Boost Spend, Seek Wellness in 2025, Flywire Survey Reveals

Elite travelers are seeking highly-personalized, exclusive and high-end travel experiences that will enhance their own wellbeing, according to a new report from Flywire Corporation (Nasdaq: FLYW), a global payments enablement and software company. And on a quest to feel recharged and enriched, these ultra luxury travelers are prepared to pay what it takes to have unique access to experiences. Among those who spend more than $25,000 per vacation, almost half say they are prepared to spend much more than before for once in a lifetime travel experiences.

Flywire’s new report, Unlocking ultra luxury travel in 2025, based on a survey of more than 500 ultra luxury travelers from the U.S., details the preferences of this elite class of travelers and the implications for the travel providers who cater to this market. Exploring topics from accommodation preferences and high-end advisors to payment security and choice, the findings suggest that to meet travelers’ demands, providers will need to offer seamless customer experiences and exclusive experiences that are personalized, high-touch and frictionless from start to finish.

“Our research shows us that ultra luxury travelers are as motivated by the ability to unplug from the world in their travels as they are to have once-in-a-lifetime experiences. More so, many of them are planning to spend more in pursuit of these experiences than before, reflecting luxury travel’s resilience and expanding global appeal,” said Colin Smyth, SVP and GM of Travel at Flywire.

Ultra luxury travelers value tailor made experiences and highly personalized service interaction, relying on advisors for true luxury experience

Luxury travel is about more than just exclusive accommodations, according to 92% of respondents it’s more the access to people, places and experiences that represent all that is authentic about a destination. Moreover, half of respondents said that, for them, luxury travel is defined by once in a lifetime and personalized experiences.

Key to curating these experiences, according to 96% of ultra luxury travelers, are travel agents or advisors. In fact, nearly 9 in 10 working with travel experts believe it is the only way to have a truly luxury travel experience. Among the reasons respondents gave for using a travel agent/advisor is their expert advice on destinations, activities or operators, and the deep understanding of personal travel preferences travel agents have.

Wellness, “Joy of Missing Out” and the ability to unplug are important to ultra luxury travel

Ultra luxury travelers are prioritizing their mental and physical wellbeing through travel. Nearly all respondents say they are likely to take a trip to reduce stress, reduce anxiety and/or fully unplug in the next year, and 9 in 10 said they are interested in taking a wellness vacation, including self-discovery, spa and nature-based retreats.

Ultra luxury travelers are also embracing slow travel, to really immerse themselves in the experience of their vacation. 93% say they have taken at least one slow travel trip in the past year, and 95% say they are likely to take the same number or more slow travel trips in the coming year. Furthermore, they are focused on doing the things that are important to them, with 84% saying vacations are all about JOMO or the Joy of Missing Out, rather than worrying about what others might be doing.

Payment experience is loyalty driver, simplicity and security are top concerns

Almost all luxury travelers who responded (95%) say that how easy it is for them to pay for all parts of their trip is important to them. Critically, around 9 in 10 say they expect a positive payment experience, and, when booking travel, almost all say they choose who they work with based on a positive payment experience.

Additionally, travelers look to avoid certain pain points when paying for their experiences, such as unexpected fees and exchange rates (34%), the inability to pay in their local currency (24%) or to use their preferred credit card (23%). And security remains top of mind, with 72% of those surveyed concerned about the security of their payments.