Overseas travel from the United States reached a new post-2019 scale in 2024, with 53.8 million visits to overseas countries and 107.7 million U.S. resident outbound travelers overall. The figures below show how passports, destinations, trip purposes, spending, and travel behavior changed across the periods reported by the U.S. Department of State and the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO).
Table of contents
- Overseas travel at a glance
- Passport issuance and valid passports
- Where Americans traveled overseas
- Which states generated the most overseas travelers
- How Americans planned and used their trips
- Monthly outbound travel in 2024
Overseas travel at a glance
The NTTO reported 107.7 million U.S. resident outbound travelers in 2024, an increase of 9.2% from 2023. That total was 8.0% above the 2019 high of 99.7 million, showing that total outbound travel had moved beyond the pre-2020 benchmark by the end of the measurement year (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
Overseas destinations accounted for 53.8 million visits by U.S. travelers in 2024, up 9.8% from 2023. NTTO reported that U.S. overseas travel exceeded its 2019 level by 20% in 2024. Americans visited 138 countries during the year (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
The broader outbound total also included 39.9 million visits to Mexico, up 8.1% from 2023, and 14.1 million visits to Canada, up 10.2% from 2023. These destination totals are reported separately from the overseas-country figure (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
| 2024 measure | Reported figure | Change or context |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. resident outbound travelers | 107.7 million | Up 9.2% from 2023 |
| Visits to overseas countries | 53.8 million | Up 9.8% from 2023 |
| Visits to Mexico | 39.9 million | Up 8.1% from 2023 |
| Visits to Canada | 14.1 million | Up 10.2% from 2023 |
| 2019 outbound-travel high | 99.7 million | 2024 total was 8.0% higher |
| Countries visited | 138 | Reported for 2024 |
Passport issuance and valid passports
Passport activity provides a separate view of Americans’ ability to travel internationally. The U.S. Department of State reported 27,348,416 passports issued in fiscal year (FY) 2025, including 4,544,022 passport cards. In FY 2024, the department reported 24,515,786 passports issued, including 3,737,228 cards.
Issuance was 24,021,257 passports in FY 2023, including 3,559,364 cards, and 21,995,760 in FY 2022, including 3,361,037 cards. The FY 2021 total was 15,496,590, including 2,497,708 passport cards (U.S. Department of State Reports and Statistics).
| Fiscal year | Passports issued | Passport cards included |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2025 | 27,348,416 | 4,544,022 |
| FY 2024 | 24,515,786 | 3,737,228 |
| FY 2023 | 24,021,257 | 3,559,364 |
| FY 2022 | 21,995,760 | 3,361,037 |
| FY 2021 | 15,496,590 | 2,497,708 |
Applications received followed a related but different pattern. The department recorded 23,308,976 applications in FY 2025, 20,437,207 in FY 2024, 21,577,377 in FY 2023, 18,693,257 in FY 2022, and 14,263,338 in FY 2021. Applications and issuances are separate measures and should not be treated as the same activity (U.S. Department of State Reports and Statistics).
The number of valid U.S. passports in circulation also increased across the reported fiscal years. There were 183,170,240 valid passports in circulation in FY 2025, compared with 169,915,821 in FY 2024, 160,668,889 in FY 2023, 151,814,305 in FY 2022, and 145,028,408 in FY 2021 (U.S. Department of State Reports and Statistics).
What the passport figures measure
Passport issuance counts documents issued during a fiscal year. Applications received count submissions received during that fiscal year. Valid passports in circulation count valid documents held in circulation at the reported fiscal-year point. Because these measures describe different stages, they are useful together but do not provide a direct count of overseas trips.
Where Americans traveled overseas
Europe’s leading destinations attracted millions of U.S. visitors in 2024. The United Kingdom received 6.0 million U.S. overseas visitors, followed by Italy with 4.2 million and France with 4.1 million. The Dominican Republic received 3.7 million U.S. overseas visitors, while Spain received 3.1 million (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
| Destination | U.S. overseas visitors in 2024 |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 6.0 million |
| Italy | 4.2 million |
| France | 4.1 million |
| Dominican Republic | 3.7 million |
| Spain | 3.1 million |
The destination figures describe U.S. overseas visitors reported by NTTO for 2024. They are not passport-issuance totals, and they should not be interpreted as the number of unique travelers because one traveler can make more than one trip or visit more than one country.
The overall overseas total reached 53.8 million visits across 138 countries. This makes the destination list a snapshot of the largest reported country-level visitor totals, while the full overseas measure captures travel across all overseas countries included in the NTTO reporting framework (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
Which states generated the most overseas travelers
California was the top state of residence for U.S. travelers to overseas destinations in 2024, with 7.7 million overseas travelers. New York ranked second with 6.0 million, and Florida ranked third with 5.3 million. Texas produced 3.7 million overseas travelers, while New Jersey produced 3.1 million (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
| State of residence | Overseas travelers in 2024 |
|---|---|
| California | 7.7 million |
| New York | 6.0 million |
| Florida | 5.3 million |
| Texas | 3.7 million |
| New Jersey | 3.1 million |
Passport issuance data provides another state-level perspective, although it covers a different measure and period. In FY 2024, California recorded 2,836,428 passport issuances, Texas 1,843,673, Florida 1,534,682, and New York 1,455,210.
The FY 2024 issuance totals were 768,344 in New Jersey, 753,679 in Illinois, 709,627 in Pennsylvania, 586,507 in Virginia, 542,913 in Massachusetts, and 534,931 in Washington (U.S. Department of State Reports and Statistics).
These state figures should be read according to their source definitions: NTTO reports travelers by state of residence for overseas travel in calendar year 2024, while the Department of State reports passport issuances in FY 2024. Neither list is a direct ranking of residents’ total travel frequency.
How Americans planned and used their trips
The average U.S. outbound traveler spent $1,907 outside the United States in 2024 and stayed 15.3 nights outside the country. The average traveler began planning 109 days before departure (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
Vacation or holiday was the main purpose for 61% of U.S. outbound travelers. Visiting friends or relatives was the main purpose for 27%, while business was the main purpose for 5% (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
Leisure activities show how travelers used their time after arrival. Sightseeing was reported by 81.6% of U.S. outbound travelers, making it the leading leisure activity in the supplied NTTO measure. Shopping was reported by 71.4% (NTTO U.S. Outbound Travelers Characteristics 2024).
The planning, spending, duration, purpose, and activity figures describe average or reported shares for U.S. outbound travelers in 2024. They are not forecasts, and they do not establish that every overseas trip had the same cost, duration, lead time, purpose, or activity profile.
Travel behavior measures
- Average spending outside the United States: $1,907 per U.S. outbound traveler in 2024.
- Average time outside the United States: 15.3 nights in 2024.
- Average planning lead time: 109 days before departure in 2024.
- Main purpose, vacation or holiday: 61%.
- Main purpose, visiting friends or relatives: 27%.
- Main purpose, business: 5%.
- Sightseeing participation: 81.6%.
- Shopping participation: 71.4%.
Monthly outbound travel in 2024
Monthly NTTO releases show the scale of U.S. citizen outbound departures at several points in 2024. February recorded 7,050,562 departures, up 14.1% from February 2023. July recorded 11,265,662, up 5.8% from July 2023. October recorded 8,427,611, up 11.9% from October 2023.
November recorded 8,185,527 U.S. citizen outbound departures, up 11.0% from November 2023. December recorded 10,007,357, up 7.7% from December 2023 (NTTO February 2024 Total International Travel Volume; NTTO July 2024 Total International Travel Volume; NTTO October 2024 Total International Travel Volume; NTTO November 2024 Total International Travel Volume; NTTO December and Annual 2024 Total International Travel Volume).
| Month in 2024 | U.S. citizen outbound departures | Change from same month in 2023 |
|---|---|---|
| February | 7,050,562 | Up 14.1% |
| July | 11,265,662 | Up 5.8% |
| October | 8,427,611 | Up 11.9% |
| November | 8,185,527 | Up 11.0% |
| December | 10,007,357 | Up 7.7% |
October’s release also reported 1,791,265 outbound U.S. departures to Europe, representing 21.3% of all departures that month (NTTO October 2024 Total International Travel Volume). The monthly figures are departure counts for specific months, while the annual destination and traveler-characteristics figures use their own NTTO reporting definitions and periods.