A little while ago you answered our long but fun (we hope) Voice of a Generation survey, and now it’s time to reveal some of the most interesting and exciting results! If you’re keen to find out more about what the Gen Zs and Millennials’ views on all things travel, then read on.
This is the new wave of travel, dictated by YOU.
Work hard, play harder
While work is important in the minds of our 18-35s, travel is definitely more important – after all, is there not knowledge and growth to be earned by discovering the vast corners of the world that an office simply can’t offer?
66% of you said you preferred to completely disconnect from work when on vacation. Long gone are the days of the digital nomad or the ‘always on call’ employee as only 10% of respondents said they enjoyed a mix of both work and travel! Understandable, ‘me time’ is called ‘me time’ for a reason.
In fact, travel is so important to your generation that 27% of you noted that travel is more important than advancing your career, even if it means sacrificing certain opportunities. While a much larger majority of 60% still tries to maintain a balance between both worlds, 27% is nothing to be scoffed at.
Image source:Contiki
Hungry for leave
Following on from the above, it turns out, surprisingly or unsurprisingly (depending on who you ask), that 57% of Gen Zs and Millennials would turn down a pay raise at work in exchange for more annual leave!
This makes sense when you consider that 21% consider the lack of annual leave to be their biggest barrier when it comes to travelling and taking on the world.
We can’t blame ya – everybody deserves a holiday.
What’s for dinner, mum?
In an effort to save for future travel expenses and make the most of the world, many 18-35s travellers have or are considering moving back home to live with their parents. 73% to be exact, with 40% currently doing it and 33% considering it. I mean, anything to see the world, right?
Image source:Contiki
Are you a robot?
As wonderful as travel is, it can be a little finicky, right? Enter AI. It’s on the rise, and its wires are extending to many fields, helping us out with all the tricky bits of life. So, the question is, would you let AI help you with your travel needs?
Well, it turns out that 83% of you have not used AI to help you out with any of your travel needs, and 18% would never use it.
Over half of respondents would use AI to recommend local activities, restaurants, and accommodations, and 62% would use AI to help them find nifty travel discounts – which we honestly can’t blame you for. Only 6% of people would allow AI to book their entire travel experience for them, but it’ll be interesting to see how this number evolves over time with the rapid advancements being made with AI all the time.
Treasure hunters
As much as we all have our favourite vacation spots, destinations that we dream about and flick through photos of on dreary nights, only 4% of travellers are interested in revisiting places they love.
That’s right, the emphasis for this generation of globetrotters is discovery, especially when it comes to uncovering gorgeous and fascinating hidden gems across the globe. 56% of travellers would prefer this over ticking off all the most popular bucket list items, and 86% of travellers have, or would consider, travelling to a ‘dupe destination’ like Bordeaux instead of Paris, for example.
Curiosity is what enriches the mind, and we are so pleased to hear that our travellers are eager to explore every corner of the big beautiful world.
Tree huggers all around
One of Contiki’s core values is sustainable travel. We pride ourselves on bringing sustainable experiences to all of our travellers, including the many facets of the word, and we’re so glad to find out that our beautiful audience values sustainability just as much.
Indeed, when asked how important sustainability is when it comes to travel, only 9% of respondents said that it wasn’t important at all. The other 91% agreed that sustainability while travelling is an important factor, however their personal involvement in it varies.
Understandably, 58% said that sustainability in travel is important to them, as long as it doesn’t incur too many extra costs (which it often can). But, luckily you have us and our brilliant MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experiences which can offer you incredible mindful experiences for a reasonable cost.
In terms of sustainable actions, 47% of 18-35s are most concerned with leaving a positive impact on the communities that they visit, 37% with the preservation of nature and wildlife, and 15% are concerned with carbon emissions. This just goes to show how well-rounded our travellers’ understanding of sustainability actually is.
Lone wolves
Are you a solo traveller, or are you and your best friend glued at the hip? Well, put your personal answer aside because this is all about the collective. When asked whether you would prefer to make memories with old friends while travelling or make new friends while seeing the world, a whopping 58% said they would prefer to make new friends.
However, making friends on holiday is not a priority for Gen Zs and Millennials. Only 2% of respondents selected ‘making friends’ as their top travel priority. Which option took the top spot? ‘Immersing myself in the local culture and lifestyle’ with 34%.
This actually works out quite well as 749 (73%) of you said you would definitely book a trip even if it was departing in 10 days! That kind of spontaneity works best when you don’t have a group chat of friends to contend with.
Image source:Contiki
Not as think as you drunk I am
While the younger generations usually tend to hold the reputation of being avid party-goers and fun-lovers, it seems that many 18-35s have found new ways to dance and enjoy themselves into the night that don’t necessarily involve alcohol!
Sober travel is having a big moment right now and this new lifestyle wave just keeps picking up. When asked if they would book a fully sober travel experience, which is to say a travel experience that doesn’t include any drinking, 82% of travellers said they would. We asked this same question last year, and the positive responses are up by 10% showing that this train isn’t anywhere close to stopping.
Image source:Contiki
