(Lebanon, NH – August 25, 2025) – Digital travel tools such as smartphone-based passports, smart glasses and live translation apps are gaining traction among global travelers, especially younger respondents. But widespread adoption still faces resistance due to privacy concerns and technological limitations, according to the Global Rescue Summer 2025 Traveler Safety and Sentiment Survey.

When asked whether they would feel comfortable using a digital passport or ID stored in a smartphone, 40% of travelers said yes and another 30% said maybe. Comfort levels were highest among travelers under 35, with 55% saying yes, compared to 46% of travelers aged 35–54 and 38% of those 55 and older. That makes younger travelers 45% more likely than the oldest group to embrace smartphone-based identification.

Despite this optimism, 35% of all respondents worry about losing access if their phone dies or is lost and 16% cite security concerns. Women are 28% more likely than men to be concerned about losing access (42% vs. 33%).

“Digital passports are appealing to some segments of the population, but travelers want confidence that they’ll still have access when technology fails and that data security and privacy concerns are addressed,” said Dan Richards, CEO of The Global Rescue Companies and a member of the US Travel and Tourism Advisory Board at the US Department of Commerce.

While 30% say digital passports would make travel faster and more convenient, just 4% are excited to see the US catch up with countries already using such features — a number that drops to near zero among travelers under 35.

Wearable technology like smart glasses and live-translation devices also show promise but remain underutilized. Only 3% of travelers have used one, though 14% plan to explore them and 35% are considering it. Interest is consistent across most groups, though travelers aged 35–54 are the most curious, with 18% planning to explore these tools — 50% higher than the overall average.

Meanwhile, live translation features integrated into messaging and video apps are widely seen as valuable. Nine out of ten travelers consider them useful, with 36% rating them “extremely useful” and 54% calling them “somewhat useful.” Interest peaks among travelers aged 35–54, with 40% calling it extremely useful, compared to 35% of those under 35 and 35% of those over 55. US and non-US respondents rated this technology similarly.

“Live translation built into communication apps has the potential to remove one of the biggest barriers to international travel — language,” Richards said. “The more seamless the technology becomes, the more confident and independent travelers will be.”

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For more information contact: Bill McIntyre | Email: bmcintyre@globalrescue.com | Phone: +1 202.560.1195

About the Global Rescue Traveler Sentiment and Safety Survey

Global Rescue, the leading travel risk and crisis response provider, surveyed more than 2,900 current and former members between June 24–30, 2025. The respondents revealed a variety of behaviors, attitudes and preferences regarding current and future travel.

About Global Rescue

Global Rescue is the world’s leading provider of medical, security, evacuation and travel risk management services to enterprises, governments and individuals. Founded in 2004, Global Rescue has exclusive relationships with the Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine Division of Special Operations and Elite Medical Group. Global Rescue provides best-in-class services that identify, monitor and respond to client medical and security crises. Global Rescue has provided medical and security support to its clients, including Fortune 500 companies, governments and academic institutions, during every globally significant crisis of the last two decades. For more information, visit www.globalrescue.com.