In Brief: Booking.com’s survey of U.S. travelers found that many people view travel compatibility as important in relationships, with disagreements over money, transportation habits and itineraries among the issues most likely to create tension during a trip.
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Booking.com Survey Finds Travel Disputes Can Test Relationship Compatibility – Image Credit Booking.com
Survey Links Travel Experiences to Relationship Tensions
Booking.com will offer limited-time “Turbulence Test” stays at nine partner hotels across the United States beginning Sept. 14, 2026. The packages are intended to give traveling companions activities designed to prompt discussions about habits, preferences and potential disagreements while away from home.
Sixty-nine percent of travelers surveyed said they would take a trip to test their compatibility with a travel companion. Booking.com also reported that 32% of U.S. travelers consider travel compatibility extremely important in a relationship.
Thirty-five percent of respondents said they discovered someone was incompatible with them after traveling together. Another 28% said they had considered ending a relationship or friendship because of a trip, while 21% said they had left a trip early because of a bad travel partner.
Dr. Jess Carbino, a sociologist and relationship expert who worked with Booking.com on the findings, said travel can reveal how people manage stress, communicate and handle different expectations.
Money Disagreements Lead Reported Sources of Conflict
Spending was one of the most commonly cited causes of travel-related tension in the survey. Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they would hesitate to travel again with a person who expected others to pay for expenses. Forty-two percent said surprise upgrades or activities created the most tension among travel companions.
Thirty-nine percent said they would reconsider traveling with someone unwilling to spend money on experiences, while 37% said constant negotiations over prices were frustrating.
Carbino said spending disputes may reflect broader concerns about respect, boundaries and communication.
Flight, Hotel and Road-Trip Habits Also Divide Travelers
The survey found that 94% of U.S. travelers have at least one complaint about a companion’s behavior on a flight. The most common concern was being rude to airport workers or flight attendants, cited by 53% of respondents. Playing videos without headphones was cited by 42%, and bringing strong-smelling food on board was cited by 38%.
Seating preferences also differed by gender. Twenty-two percent of men said sitting separately from a companion on a flight was annoying, compared with 15% of women. Twenty-six percent of women said separate seating was not a problem. Meanwhile, 73% of respondents said they were not bothered by a travel companion going barefoot on a flight.
At hotels, 45% of travelers said it was a concern when a companion refused to check a mattress for bed bugs. The share was higher among women (60%) than among men (40%).
On road trips, leaving trash in the car was the most frequently cited annoyance, identified by 50% of respondents. Reckless driving followed closely at 49%.
Generational Differences Emerge in Travel Preferences
Sixteen percent of millennials said that, during itinerary disagreements, someone may agree to a compromise while privately holding a grudge. That compared with 10% of Gen X respondents and older travelers.
Millennials were also more likely than other generations to say they had left a trip early because of a bad travel companion, at 26%. Carbino said unresolved disagreements can create resentment when travelers avoid discussing concerns directly.
Boomers were more likely to be annoyed by loud music (53%) and lateness (49%). Among millennials, 25% said a companion who wanted to talk to everyone would be difficult to travel with. Gen Z respondents were more likely to consider taking too many photos forgivable, at 30%.
Hotel Packages Include Compatibility Activities
The participating properties will provide a physical “Turbulence Test Kit” as part of the Booking.com package. The kit includes travel-themed conversation prompts, “Would You Rather?” questions, “Red Flag/Green Flag” rounds, blindfolded taste tests and a survey intended to provide a compatibility result.
Some hotels will also include property-specific offerings, such as resort credits or local excursions. The packages will be available for a limited time through participating properties in the United States.
Discover more at Booking.com.
