Voice of a Generation 2024

A little while ago we sent out our yearly Voice of a Generation survey asking Gen-Zs and Millennials around the world about who their pop-culture icons are, whether they’d prefer to take a pay cut in exchange for more holiday, and so much more. Well, we’ve been sifting through each respondent’s form (all 5,600 of them!), and the results are finally out. 

Equipped with worldly knowledge beyond comprehension, we’re proud to say that we may know Gen-Zs and Millennials better than they know themselves! We know what their thoughts on sustainable travel are, we know if they’d live with their parents to save a few bucks, and we know whether they’d prefer city-living to cosy cottage vibes.

Want to hold a mirror up to yourself? Delve into the fascinating responses below! And, you can even test your knowledge with this little trivia quiz below.

This is the new wave of travel led by you!

1. Brain off, beach on

We all know that travelling and seeing the world is basically the meaning of life, but how can you relax and indulge in your purpose when you’ve constantly got work emails to answer? You can’t, which is why 70% of globetrotters want to completely disconnect from work while travelling. 

One thing Gen-Zs and Millennials have definitely gotten right is that vacation time = me time, and setting an ‘out of office’ reply has practically become an art. There’s no reason to constantly be online when the big beautiful world is all around you, and that’s why 49% of travellers only use their phone for navigation and photos while away – so they can spend more time away from their screens soaking everything up.

We respect it, and hope this is a trend that carries on.

2. AI-Curious

2024 has been the year of AI, and the robots have been infiltrating all areas of life, travel included! The move to embracing the future has been a little slower for Gen-Zs and Millennials with only 17% of travellers having used AI to help book their travel.

But, never say never! The globetrotters are curious, and anything that can help lessen the burden of planning your next getaway is welcomed. 60% of travellers said they would use AI to help them find local recommendations, 62% said they would use AI to help them find travel discounts, and 58% would use AI to recommend restaurants. 

It seems people are happy to be helped when it comes to planning, but if anything big comes up the preference is still human-to-human conversation with only 16% of travellers saying they’d use AI for customer care. 

19% said they wouldn’t use AI at all, but it will be interesting to see how this number changes as the technology progresses.

3. Bye bye hangovers

You may think that younger generations are inclined to indulge in heavy drinking and hardcore partying, but Gen-Zs and Millennials are here to set the record straight: alcohol is not at the forefront of their minds! When asked whether they would be interested in booking a completely sober travel experience, 83% said they would, showing that fun can be had in many other ways.

It could be that this generation is tired of waking up hungover in paradise and missing out, or simply making healthier lifestyle choices, but no matter the reason for these holiday alcohol bans, these travellers are creating long-lasting memories they’ll actually remember.

4. Sustainable kings and queens

Here at Contiki we value sustainability, and what a relief it was to find out that our audience does too! Travel is so exciting, but it won’t mean anything if landscapes are destroyed and local communities are unsupported. 

Luckily, only 7% of respondents said that sustainability wasn’t important to them when it comes to their travel choices, with 93% agreeing it was! You guys have a heart of gold, you know that?

When planning their vacations, 59% of travellers consider sustainability important as long as it doesn’t incur extra costs (fair enough), while 5% of travellers would prioritise it over everything else. It doesn’t matter where you are on the scale, as long as you have the desire to leave a positive impact on the world you visit, we’re proud of you.

5. Jetting with the stars

We asked this question in our 2023 Voice of a Generation survey: Which celebrity would you most like to travel with, and in 2023, the top pick was none other than Taylor Swift. Well, we’re happy to report that the love for Tay Tay is still strong as she has retained her number one spot as the celebrity of choice to enjoy epic holidays with!

Coming in hot in second and third place is heart-throb Harry Styles and Canada’s sweetheart Ryan Reynolds. To be honest, I’d be happy to take any of these celebs abroad with me, so this top 3 is officially Contiki approved!

6. Hidden gem hunters

There are a few popular destinations around the globe. Ones that are always at the top of travellers’ wishlists, ones that are always mentioned in viral TikToks and Instagram posts – and they’re popular for a reason! But, there’s so much more to see than the typical top 10.

Our Contiki travellers know this and in fact 88% said they would be more than happy to discover a destination dupe like Bordeaux instead of Paris, or Albania instead of Croatia. The world is your oyster and there’s so much to see and smell and taste and feel, why limit yourself to the usual suspects? Get out there and explore!

7. Money, money, money

If you thought Gen-Zs and Millennials weren’t travelling because they’re lazy or don’t want to see the world then you thought wrong! The biggest barrier to entry for our Contiki-addicted Gen-Zs and Millennials is the cost – which is totally reasonable to be honest.

The second biggest barrier to entry is not having enough annual leave/PTO to take off, which can easily be remedied using our nifty Hack the Leave calendars, and the third barrier is having no one to travel with, which Contiki remedies! So, that just leaves the expenses… 

8. Live sports > live music

When asked which live event our travellers would spend their entire life savings to attend, we expected the top answer to be something along the lines of Tomorrowland or Coachella, or another music festival. So, we were really surprised when the top contender for 2024 was the Paris Olympics – though really an event that only happens every 4 years being at the top of people’s wishlist shouldn’t be that shocking.

Just goes to show that the people yearn for thrills and active lives! In fact, a top predicted travel trend for 2025 is more active holidays so… 

9. Mom, I’m home!

Listen, saving for your travels can be tough, let’s face it (see point 7!). You’ve got flights to pay for, accommodation, food, and all those amazing activities – the price tag can get high! In order to counteract this and make the most of their savings, it seems many 18-35s have opted for lodgings back at their parents’.

78% of travellers are either living at home already, or would consider doing so if it meant they could put their savings towards future travels. We get it and we respect it! 

10. We’ve got Europe fever!

And last but not least, it may come as no surprise that Europe is still top of the travel menu. I mean, with so many diverse cities and cultures it makes total sense, and everyone wants a bit of the classic and romantic vibes places like Paris, Rome, and Barcelona can offer.

When asked which country was at the top of their travel wishlist, 4 out of the top 5 answers were European destinations: Greece, Italy, Croatia, and Spain. What do these all have in common? Gorgeous beaches and sparkling coastlines, as well as amazing food! So, maybe it’s not Europe after all, and more the heavenly vibes? Who knows, but if that’s where you’re headed, we’ve got plenty of trips for you!