Tourism : Study:On vacation, Romanians are most afraid of exceeding vacation budget 

The biggest financial worry of Romanians when traveling abroad is the difficulty of sticking to a set budget and the temptation to overspend (22%), followed by the fear of physical theft (16%) and unexpected expenses (12%), according to a recent survey conducted by Revolut and Dynata, on a representative sample of the adult population in Romania."Although 26% of respondents admit that they generally stay within their vacation budget, 24% of participants say that the main reason for excessive spending is unexpected expenses. The second reason for not respecting the budget is the desire to live in the moment (20%) and the third - impulsive shopping (8%). However, 44% of respondents say that they have a special fund where they save money for vacation in advance, and only 26% do not save, they simply use the family's regular funds", it is mentioned in a Revolut press release sent on Friday.Fear of physical theft, especially losing a wallet or purse containing cards, cash, ID or, worse, a phone, is another concern for Romanian travelers (16%), according to the survey. It's not just about losing money, but respondents cite the immediate and overwhelming feeling of being stranded in an unfamiliar place, the fear of not being able to pay for essentials and the pressure to cancel cards and replace documents, which can eat up valuable vacation time.Romanians from Generation Z (18-24 years old) are more concerned about physical theft while traveling (18%), as are seniors (65+) at 21%. This suggests a potential generational divide in terms of financial anxieties related to travel.Two other frequently mentioned concerns are the fear of fraud, scams or unauthorized charges (9%) that could ruin their trip and the insurance company not paying for expenses incurred as a result of a medical incident (9%). While scams are the most common concern for Romanians aged 35-44 (11%), the fear of going over budget is the main concern for Generation Z, indicated by 17% of this generation. Regarding travel insurance not honored, the highest percentage is recorded among respondents in the age group 45-54 (12%).Four out of ten Romanians say they would never spend more than they could afford or go into debt for a vacation they couldn't afford, while 22% managed to avoid such a situation at the last minute. Younger generations (Generation Z - 33%) are the ones who say they have spent on unaffordably expensive vacations and do not regret this decision. But the same generation also gave the most answers expressing regret for spending more than they could afford on certain vacations (9% vs. 6% average of the entire sample). On the other hand, 6 out of 10 respondents over 55 years old said they would never spend more than their budget or go into debt to treat themselves to a vacation they couldn't afford."We know that for many Romanians, the thought of losing their phone or falling victim to a scam while abroad is a real source of stress. Our mission is to provide our users with the tools they need to protect their money, giving them the freedom to explore the world without constant financial worries. However, it is important to remember that while we have built our application with security at the forefront to address those threats that can commonly arise on vacation, customer awareness and collaboration are also paramount to increasing safety," said Dave Eborne, Director of the Anti-Fraud Department at Revolut, quoted in the press release.The study was conducted in June 2025 by the research company Dynata through an online survey. The sample included 20,000 people representative of the local population aged 18 and over from 20 countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom).Revolut is a European bank, headquartered in the Republic of Lithuania, authorised and regulated by the Bank of Lithuania and the European Central Bank - helping people get more from their money. In 2015, Revolut launched in the UK offering money transfers and currency exchange. Today, over 60 million customers worldwide use dozens of Revolut products and make more than half a billion transactions per month.