“I booked a flight at 1 am after a brutal workday. I didn’t even tell my team! I just knew I had to leave before I tore into my manager and put in my papers”
says Barkha Bhatia, a Delhi-based management consultant. “It wasn’t about a holiday. I just needed to get away from an ecosystem that was almost single-handedly ruining my mental health." I have too, quite often, deliberated just taking off. Sadly, my finances don't allow this flight of fancy as much as I'd like to. But across countries and age groups, professionals are making impulsive travel decisions driven by emotional overload. This behaviour now has a name: rage booking. An inbox full of unread emails, another tense meeting replaying in the head, a sudden, overwhelming urge to leave. Now. At its core, rage booking refers to impulsive travel decisions triggered by stress, burnout, or anger. Unlike spontaneous holidays of the past—often driven by deals or occasions; rage-booked trips are motivated by urgency. The need to escape feels immediate and non-negotiable.
Burnout Is Fuelling The Trend
Several surveys point to exhaustion as the key driver behind this behaviour. In the United States, more than half of travellers report feeling fatigued, while nearly a third say stress recovery directly pushed them to book a trip. Interestingly, studies suggest that the very act of planning travel can reduce stress more effectively than methods like exercising or meditation. For many, an emotional reset reportedly kicks in by the fourth day of the trip.Typically, these trips are decided within hours, planned with minimal research, and kept short, often lasting no more than three to five days. The focus is not on sightseeing or ticking off attractions, but on rest. A US-based survey by travel insurance platform Faye Travel (one of the first to use the term “rage booking”) found that one in three people are booking vacations specifically to cope with workplace burnout. Millennials are the most affected, followed closely by Gen Z, while only about a quarter of baby boomers report experiencing similar levels of burnout.
While the term may have gained traction in the US, rage booking is increasingly visible in India as well. Travel platforms report a sharp rise in last-minute bookings, particularly among businessmen aged 25 to 45. Bookings made within 15 to 20 days of travel have jumped by nearly 30 per cent compared to last winter, with more than 65 per cent of these trips lasting under five days.
Data from Cleartrip further underlines this shift. An annual report shows that nearly 38 lakh flight bookings were made within 48 hours of departure. Late-night planning is also becoming common, with around three lakh bookings logged between 3 am and 4 am alone, hours that reflect restlessness more than routine planning.
Work Culture At The Root
In India, an overwhelming number of millennials say their jobs significantly contribute to their anxiety and stress. When quitting isn’t an option and taking long breaks feels impossible, short, impulsive trips become a release valve."In the last two years, I have taken around 6 weekend trips. I leave for Rishikesh on Friday night, and come back on Sunday. Rafting, cafe hopping, treks and a visit to Parmarth Ashram are among things that I do when I am travelling. Even if it for a day, it helps me deal with the work pressure, especially since news of layoffs are getting more common by the day. I can't quit my job, but I can try to make myself feel better," says Pulkit Chhabra, a Gurgaon-based working professional.
Also Read: Hidden Gems In India, Short Vacations And Culture: All The Travel Trends That Will Rule 2026
Rage booking may not be about discovering new cultures or chasing bucket-list destinations but really truly just coping with a world that is moving too fast for us to control. When boundaries between work and life are increasingly blurred, the decision to book a trip in anger is less about travel, and more about just finding your own rhythm, even if for a few hours.
