US business travelers take far fewer international trips than their European counterparts according to a new survey from Booking.com for Business. The survey comes, according to the company, as GBTA reports that US companies are becoming increasingly cautious around international travel in 2026, amid rising costs and operational disruption.

The survey showed that in the US, short international trips (1-2 nights) were 17% of all trips – against 49% for the UK and 41% for Germany. The numbers for longer international trips (3+ nights) were 21% for the US, 41% for the UK and 39% for Germany.

Almost twice as many US business travelers (63%) take longer domestic trips of three or more nights than those in the UK (36%) and Germany (39%).

GBTA data shows that UK firms spent a total of $60.2 billion on business travel in 2025 – a year-on-year rise of 14%. This increase, said the report, is driven by efforts to develop new international markets and strengthen overseas partnerships, unlike the dwindling efforts from US firms.

With costs an ongoing concern for many global travel managers, Joshua Wood, managing director at Booking.com for Business, offered tips for optimizing business travel budgets:

• Book in advance: “Better logistic planning can help to reduce last-minute stress and over-paying on airfare, ground transport and accommodation. To make this a practice, your corporate travel policy can set a timeline for booking travel in advance and send reminders before booking deadlines.”
• Encourage flexible travel schedules: “Flights and hotel prices often fluctuate based on demand, so giving travelers a bit of flexibility in their schedules can help secure better deals. Help by implementing a policy that allows travel dates within a set window to take advantage of lower rates without impacting business objectives.
• Leverage corporate travel management tools: “A business travel platform can help secure the best deals and streamline corporate travel bookings by comparing different provider options and costs.”