India, 8 January 2025: Leading global travel app, Skyscanner, today released its ‘Wanderlost’ report, revealing that 94% of Indian travellers tend to overthink their holiday plans, making it harder for them to commit to a trip. The report offers a closer look at how Indian travellers plan for the year ahead, with nearly half (49%) already planning their next getaway. It further highlights the key factors that shape their travel decisions and what often holds them back from booking their next adventure.
January is all about fresh beginnings and the perfect time to map out 2025 adventures, with 89% of Indians using this month to make important decisions for the year ahead. However, for 75% of Indian travellers, the process of planning a trip can feel overwhelming – almost as much as figuring out their relationship goals! Key stressors like the fear of making a less-than-perfect choice (96%), cost concerns (95%), and overthinking (94%) hold many back from booking their holidays. Travellers also tend to be extra cautious about their travel plans, revisiting their options multiple times—whether it’s flights (41%), hotels (35%), or activities (30%)—to make sure everything is perfect before they hit ‘book’.
Skyscanner’s Wanderlost report uncovers this growing travel planning stress experienced by Indian travellers. Mohit Joshi, Travel and Destinations Expert shares, “Planning a trip should be exciting, but for many, it can feel like a daunting task. Our Wanderlost report highlights that over 1 in 5 (22%) Indian travellers take up to a month to finalise their holiday plans – a timeframe akin to deciding on higher education! Despite this, nearly half (45%) Indians ended up taking more holidays than they originally planned in 2024.
At Skyscanner, we want to fuel this passion for travel and make the planning experience hassle-free. Whether seeking great deals or new destinations, our money-saving tools and features are designed to simplify every step of the trip planning process. When flexible with dates, our Cheapest Month feature reveals the most budget-friendly time to fly and helps you discover the most cost-effective month to visit any destination. Meanwhile, our Explore Everywhere search inspires travellers to uncover incredible destinations within their budget, all ranked by price. With a wealth of travel hacks and tips available, we want to ensure 2025 is the year when travel dreams take flight.”
To further explore the mental strain behind this phenomenon, Skyscanner collaborated with neurology doctor and neuroscientist Dr. Faye Begeti, neurology doctor and neuroscientist who explains, ‘Wanderlost,’ a state of indecision during travel planning, stems from mental fatigue. Planning a holiday can feel overwhelming, especially when each decision – whether it’s choosing a destination or booking flights, hotels, and activities – requires significant mental effort. When a choice is difficult to make, it’s often because we need to shift our attention between various options, compare them and analyse the pros and cons. The constant mental juggling of information, particularly when it’s scattered across multiple online sources, relies heavily on our prefrontal cortex and can drain our cognitive resources, further amplified by the pressure to make the ‘perfect’ choice. This can turn the usual excitement of ‘wanderlust’ into the exhaustion of ‘wanderlost.’ I’m glad to be working with Skyscanner to help travellers overcome this challenge.”