A volatile start to 2026 has put business travelers and travel managers on edge, even as some suppliers have boasted booming January business travel demand. The geopolitical mechanisms driving the uncertainty—tariffs, tightening borders, military invasions and the threat of land grabs, many of which have been initiated by the United States but also are not limited to the U.S.—have bigger implications than travel, but also include it. BTN editors in the following coverage interviewed experts about changing political alliances that could morph business relationships, re-organize trade routes, re-structure business travel partnerships and definitely scramble corporate travel patterns. Some predict a retreat to more domestic and regional interests in an environment of de-globalization and tightening borders.

The following reporting offers analysis of the big picture as well as the practical implications for travelers and travel managers.