American travelers spend more money in Mexico than in any other country, according to an October 2026 report. With roughly 1 in 3 US citizens heading abroad every year, this newly released study by MobiusPay reveals the top 10 countries where they spend big on their trips.
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Americans never hold back when visiting Mexico, spending $26 billion there last year alone.
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Japan has never been this popular, with American tourists spending nearly double what they did there before the pandemic.
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Business travelers from the US spent $1.9 billion in Canada in a single year, more than in any other country.
The research examined 70+ destinations to find where US residents spend the most when traveling abroad. It looked at American travel expenses in each country, covering personal trips, education and health travel, and business trips. The study also checked how those figures changed from the year before and from 2019. Countries were finally ranked by how much Americans spent in each one.
Here’s a look at the top 10 countries where Americans spend the most money:
1. Mexico
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U.S. travel spending in 2025: $25.7 billion
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Average daily spend: $70.4 million/day
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Personal travel share: $22.5 billion
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Education & health travel: $1.8 billion
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Business travel: $1.4 billion
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Change from 2019: +34%
Mexico is where Americans spend the most money when they travel. They spent $25.7 billion there last year alone, which is more than Canada and Italy combined. Most of that money, $22.5 billion, went to regular holidays and family visits. Mexico is the easiest international destination for many Americans, reachable by car from multiple states, which explains why the spending is so big. Overall, Americans have left over $117 billion in Mexico in the past five years.
2. Canada
Americans spent $12.8 billion in Canada last year, up 9% from the year before. A big part of that comes from work travel, as the US citizens are spending around $1.9 billion on business trips. Family holidays account for $10.3 billion, and education and health travel add $548 million on top of that. Over the last five years, Americans have spent $42.6 billion in Canada, the second-highest figure after Mexico.
3. Italy
3. Italy
Italy collected $12.6 billion from American visitors in 2025. Most of that, $10.7 billion, went to regular tourism, which makes sense given how popular the country is with US travelers. On top of that, Americans spent $1.1 billion on education and health trips there, as a lot of people go for longer stays, study programs, or medical reasons rather than just a short holiday. Since 2019, American spending in Italy has grown 64%, one of the biggest jumps anywhere.
4. United Kingdom
The UK is another popular destination among US travelers. Americans spent more than $12 billion there last year alone, growing 6% from the year before. While regular holidays made up most of that, the UK also gets $2 billion from Americans going there for education and health reasons, the highest of any country on this list. That shows how many Americans study at UK universities or travel there for medical treatment. Over the last five years, Americans have spent $45.7 billion in the UK.
5. Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic rounds out the top five. Americans spent $8.5 billion there in 2025, more than in France, Japan, or Spain. Nearly all of it, $8.1 billion, went straight to personal travel, mostly beach holidays and all-inclusive resorts, with almost nothing going to business or education trips. To put that into perspective, Americans spent roughly $23 million there on tourism every single day last year. On top of that, spending has also grown 84% since 2019, the biggest rise of any country in the top five.
A financial expert from MobiusPay commented on the study:
“American tourism abroad has been growing fast. US residents now make over 107 million international trips a year, spending $250 billion in the process. That’s 20% more trips than before the pandemic, which shows that travel has not just recovered but actually taken off. The average American also spends nearly $2,000 per trip and stays abroad for over two weeks, which is a big reason why US tourists are so welcome just about everywhere.”
