As the travel landscape shifts, so do travelers’ concerns and expectations. Wanderlust and worry are two sides of the same deeply human coin. Equally human is the desire to connect with other (hopefully more knowledgeable) humans when the journey breaks down.
At the same time, travel planning is now, more often than not, a solo activity. Self-service digital experiences have become the norm. AI is reshaping how trips are researched and booked. Travelers are able to build their own trips across multiple providers, choosing the airlines, hotels and activity booking platforms that fit them best.
“When everything falls into place, what is an inherently fragmented process feels frictionless to the customer,” said Dennis Schnadthorst, Allianz Partners’ regional head of operations for travel, Americas.
“But with so many moving parts, it’s all too easy for one disruption to send everything flying off the rails. And the customer, who until that moment thought of their trip as a unified whole, is left feeling stressed, vulnerable and struggling to pick up the pieces. They aren’t thinking about which provider technically owns which part of their journey, or who technically should be helping. They want to know who actually will—and how quickly they can get it done.”
From the moment a customer decides to make their dream trip a reality, ease is the expected baseline. In these difficult moments when reality doesn’t live up to the dream, expert support becomes a powerful differentiator.
Travel protection turns challenges into customer trust
When travel challenges send a customer’s trip spiraling, that loss of control can easily become a loss of brand trust. Regardless of what went wrong or where the responsibility truly lies, this is when customers tend to reach out to the brand that feels the most accessible—even if the problem is beyond that brand’s control.
When that brand can’t help, the customer relationship is at risk. A missed excursion turns into a chain of phone calls and handoffs instead of the adventure the customer signed up for. The confusion of flight delays and disruptions leaves them feeling like lost luggage circling the carousel.
This is where the opportunity lies. When a trip feels out of control, it’s more important than ever that support is within reach.
In August 2026, Allianz Partners surveyed 1,000 U.S. travelers who had previously purchased travel insurance. The results point to just how essential travel protection really is, both in leaving customers with positive memories of their trip and of the brand that made it available to them.
Of those surveyed, 88% said travel insurance gives them greater peace of mind. Of the 45% of respondents who had made a claim, 80% said the experience increased their trust in the company that sold them the insurance. And 90% said that they would book again with the same supplier that included travel insurance for them in the booking process—a percentage that clearly highlights the link between integrated, expert support and a positive perception of your brand.
As disappointing as missed flights, lost luggage or losing out on a hotel stay can be to customers, they can still walk away with positive memories—both of their trip and of your brand. The right guidance and support are key to making that happen.
The power of proactive support
No one can fully predict or prevent every potential travel disruption. Unexpected travel interruptions, severe weather events and rising costs are beyond anyone’s control and can negatively affect both your customers’ confidence in their decision to travel and their trip itself. But when travelers run into unpleasant surprises, travel providers have the opportunity to step in with positive ones—like help that arrives before the customer even asks for it. In disruptive moments, proactive, rather than reactive, support goes a long way towards ensuring that customers feel connected to the help they need and to your brand.
In practice, this looks like creating an ecosystem of care coordinated around the customer’s needs. At Allianz Partners, our approach is to minimize friction in key areas that might otherwise feel overwhelming to customers. That means eligible customers can receive automatic payments when a flight is delayed, rather than wait through a lengthy claims process. It means they can schedule an appointment with a doctor in just a few clicks, rather than try to navigate a foreign healthcare system alone.* And with our global team and assistance experts standing by 24/7, it means that the empathetic human support customers need is just a phone call away.
When this combination of benefits and real-time human support is baked into the booking paths or apps that customers are already using, travel providers are empowered to respond in the way that makes the most sense in a specific situation. Care feels immediate and accessible when customers need it most, allowing them to focus less on what went wrong and more on how a trusted travel provider helped make it better.
Travel protection builds loyalty beyond a single trip
When the world feels uncertain, the decision to travel is not one that customers take lightly. The desire to connect with other people and other cultures is a driving force behind that decision. And throughout the travel ecosystem, connection is crucial. Offering travel protection that connects customers to care when they need it most lets travel providers turn the inevitable moments when the journey breaks down into powerful drivers of brand loyalty. When that essential ecosystem of care is in place, the trust you’ve built with your customers stays where it belongs—with your brand.
Terms, condition, and exclusions apply to all plans. See Details and Disclosures.
*USE OF THE AIR DOCTOR SERVICES IS NOT FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES. IF YOU HAVE, OR THINK YOU may have, a medical emergency, call the emergency number in the country where you are located. Services are provided through Air Doctor, a third-party provider. When using Air Doctor’s services, you are subject to their terms of use and privacy policy. AGA Service Company and Air Doctor are not healthcare providers or medical providers or medical organizations.
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