Welp, that happened. My scheduled direct flight on United from Los Angeles to Toronto, a new route on the US carrier set to launch in May 2025, was canceled. With demand for Canadians traveling to the United States plummeting due to current politics, United deemed this newly scheduled daily flight as unlikely to be profitable, so canceled it in its entirety, instead relying on partner Air Canada to fill that gap.

This is just one example of what travel is like here in 2025, a result of ever-changing domestic and global politics. Today, let’s talk about some of this, and what travelers can possibly expect to notice that is different than in years past.

(Note: this is NOT an article about specific politics, and I will endeavor not to comment on policies from that standpoint, although my personal leanings are well documented. Rather, I want to focus on how policies (with which you might agree or disagree) might affect your personal travel experiences, and how they have affected mine. Also note that things in this sphere have the tendency to change quickly, and that this article might not be accurate for long.)

Decreasing Demand for Travel to the US

The National Travel and Tourism Office reported that March 2025 had roughly 12% fewer international arrivals than March 2024. Some of this is likely due to Easter being later than in 2024, since it is a time that typically has significant travel, so April numbers (and I will try to update this article to reflect those) will be telling in terms of this group. But part of that is also likely due to politics, at least if one is to judge by social media anger directed toward US policies seen as hurting people’s home countries.

So what does this mean and how might it affect your travel? On the one hand, decreased demand might lead to lower prices as airlines endeavor to fill seats. On the other hand, it might lead to a reduction in scheduling – as it did in the case of my flight to Toronto – and in turn cause prices to actually go up if that outpaces the drop in demand.

It is too early to tell if these trends will continue, either to hold steady at a 10-15% reduction or to drop further month to month, but as airlines operate with generally slim margins, my money would be on scheduling changes with fewer flights to the US rather than decreased prices. And as it is a quickly changing landscape, you might expect your previously scheduled flights to change, or to be canceled entirely, at a higher rate than they would have a year ago.

A Changing Immigration and Customs Process

The current administration has promised enhanced vetting of those coming into the country, and so far (I’m writing this in mid-April), that seems to be having a major affect on the possible immigration and customs experiences of those entering the US. While Customs and Border Patrol states that searches of electronic devices are at random and are not being done at higher levels than in prior years, the anecdotes of targeted heavier screenings are adding up.

For the most part, this affects non-citizens. Countries have total discretion on who they allow in, and there is zero recourse for non-citizens or non-permanent residents if you are deemed to be undesirable. The difference in 2025 seems to be in what might make someone fall into that category. Reports of academics traveling to the US for conferences being barred from entry over social media posts critical of the current American government are concerning, and if they continue, will likely fuel a further drop in international arrivals.

If you are a citizen or permanent resident, you cannot be barred entry, although again, there are stories circulating of even some in these groups being targeted for additional screening based on their jobs, ethnicities, or political leanings. (I restate that CBP has said that these screenings are random and not politically motivated.)

From a practical standpoint, it is probably wise to allot more time to clear immigration and customs on arrival into the United States than you would have previously, whether you are a citizen or not, as enhanced screenings take time and, even if you are not selected for one, might cause longer lines. This is especially true if you are connecting upon first arriving in the United States. You might want to consider a slightly longer layover to feel more comfortable.

Shifting Perceptions of Americans Abroad

Politics is a game of perception, sometimes more than it is of reality. So if foreign governments and their citizens believe the United States to not be as friendly of a nation as it has been in the past, that might lead to shifts in how Americans would be welcomed or treated abroad.

To this point, I have not personally felt any differences during my three international trips in 2025. From a governmental standpoint, I have not had any issues arriving on an American passport, and to my knowledge, no countries have made barriers to American entry more stringent over the past few months. (I am not counting new UK visa requirements that were announced years ago and went into effect in 2025.)

When it comes to treatment by people in a foreign country, again, I have not noticed any changes. Some of this might be the perception that those Americans who travel most often internationally do not support current policies (though we all know that this is not a totally accurate belief; plenty of travelers identify as conservative and would be in favor of much of the current agenda), but most of it is likely simply that people don’t actively look for confrontation. Politics only really comes up during travel when I go places where locals are angry that anyone is coming, as their communities are struggling with over-tourism. (Think of Barcelona as a good example.)

Might this change? Of course. If the United States is seen as an unfriendly nation, American entry might be barred entirely. And even if one can go, it might affect safety – or at least feeling comfortable – in a place. But as mentioned above, I haven’t personally experienced any of that to this point.

Spending Power of the Dollar

Over the past several years, Americans have been blessed by a strong dollar. Yes, inflation here at home has been bad, but it has been better than in most of the world as we all emerged from the Covid pandemic, so purchasing power elsewhere has been in our favor, even in traditionally expensive places like the UK.

If the dollar weakens in relation to other world currencies, international travel would become more expensive, since even if flights are purchased from US carriers, costs once actually in another country would be higher.

This becomes even truer if the world were to move away from the US dollar as the most common global currency. A move like this would not happen overnight, but would probably instead be a process weakening the power of the dollar over the course of years.

For now, the dollar’s value in relation to the Euro, for instance, has fallen by about 10% in 2025, from one dollar being .97 Euro, to its value today of .88. A dollar was .82 British pounds, and is now .75. Even examining a random currency, one dollar was 10.2 Moroccan dirhams at the beginning of the year, and has now fallen to 9.26. All of these affect American spending power in foreign countries, incrementally increasing prices.

Conclusion

Travel has always been affected by political perceptions, and it always will be. That isn’t a new feature of 2025. But it is wise to understand what changes have happened, and what might happen, and how these have the possibility to impact your plans. Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, or whether you view these changes as positive or negative, these shifts have the potential to affect travel for all of us.