MBA Travel Trends, 2023-2026

1. Travel budgets are at their highest yet

Students reported spending about $11k a year on travel in 2023 and about $10k in 2024. In 2026 that rose to about $13k, 18% more than in 2023. If you're budgeting for an MBA, plan for travel to cost more than older estimates suggest.

2. Trip counts dipped, then recovered

The average student took 10.3 trips in 2023, 9.0 in 2024 and 10.4 in 2026. So the higher spend isn't only more trips: the number of trips is back to where it was in 2023, while the yearly bill is higher.

3. Recruiting travel is growing fastest

Recruiting trips went from 1.2 per student in 2023 to 1.8 in 2026, and from 12% to 17% of all trips. International recruiting trips are still rare, but they're up 220% from a small base and domestic recruiting trips are up 35%. Domestic recruiting trips are still the cheapest kind, usually under $500, because employers often cover them.

4. Leisure is a smaller share, but still the biggest category

Leisure trips made up 51% of travel in 2023 and 45% in 2026. International leisure trips with classmates are still the most common trip every year. A typical one cost $2k-$3k in 2023 and 2024, and $1.5k-$2k in 2026.

5. Personal trips cost more

Students take about as many domestic trips for personal reasons, like weddings and visits home, as they did in 2023 (2.7 then, 2.5 now), but the typical one went from ~$500 to $500-$1k. International personal trips are up 26%.

6. Trip lengths haven't changed

Each year, international leisure trips usually last 6-7 days, international personal trips 4-5 days, domestic trips 2-3 days and domestic recruiting trips 1 day. Students are taking more trips and paying more, not traveling for longer.