Digital travel tools such as smartphone-based passports, smart glasses and live translation apps are gaining traction among global travellers, especially younger respondents. But widespread adoption still faces resistance due to privacy concerns and technological limitations, according to the Global Rescue 2025 Traveller Safety and Sentiment Survey.
When asked whether they would feel comfortable using a digital passport or ID stored in a smartphone, 40% of travellers said yes and another 30% said maybe. Comfort levels were highest among travellers under 35, with 55% saying yes, compared to 46% of travellers aged 35-54 and 38% of those 55 and older. That makes younger travellers 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 travellers 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.
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 travellers under 35.
Wearable technology like smart glasses and live-translation devices also show promise but remain underutilized. Only 3% of travellers have used one, though 14% plan to explore them and 35% are considering it. Interest is consistent across most groups, though travellers 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 travellers consider them useful, with 36% rating them “extremely useful” and 54% calling them “somewhat useful.” Interest peaks among travellers 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 travellers will be.”
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