Marriott and United Airlines recently released new joint research on travelers. Gathering insight from more than 2,000 travelers and 200 senior marketers, the new study, The Psychology of Travel Audiences, revealed travel as both the right moment and right mindset for modern marketing and for brands to take advantage of.

The study uncovered people are significantly more open to new brands and experiences while traveling, with 75 percent of travelers cited feeling more open to discovery compared to everyday life. Pre-trip excitement drives preparation purchases, transit unlocks attention and return flights cement long-term brand beliefs.

Large, pre-paid expenses create a “contrast effect,” making upgrades and impulse purchases feel smaller. The research also found in-transit and in-destination moments deliver peak dwell time and emotional positivity, and more than 85 percent of travelers make unplanned purchases during trips, with tens of millions of Marriott reservations made within days of a prior stay ending.

Three out of four consumers reported they trust their top travel provider’s recommendations and advertising.

Marriott’s MarRIOTT MEDIA and United Airlines’ Kinective Media conducted the study in response to marketers facing record fragmentation, declining attention and rising acquisition costs. The study identifies travel as one of the last environments where audience mindset, attention and purchase intent alight simultaneously.