Welcome to your 2025 iteration of our Voice of a Generation survey!!! Over the sweltering summer we asked our beloved Gen-Z and Millennial audience a BUNCH of questions about travel, encompassing pop culture, travel icks, and what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to see the world.
Are you curious yet? You should be, we’ve got the ultimate inside scoop into the coolest generations ever and all their inside thoughts. So, prepare to dive in and get to know yourself even better – warning, possible self-reflection on the horizon.
These are the collected results from some of our fave questions, the answers of which will pave our way into a new and exciting mode of travel.
Out of the office into the big, beautiful world
Travel has never been more important to Gen-Z and Millennials than it is now. A chief reason for this is the high counts of burnout these generations are facing. 63% of our Contiki audience said avoiding burnout and needing a break from work was a leading factor in deciding to travel. There’s no better break than seeing the world, hey?
On top of this, 57% of travellers said they would give up a raise in exchange for more annual leave, putting an emphasis on the importance of taking a break from work – whether it’s to go on a long adventurous holiday or stay at home nurturing yourself. In fact, it’s possible younger generations are feeling a lack of time off, as a small (but interesting!!!) 17% of respondents said they have travelled and/or worked remotely without telling their boss… Your secret’s safe with us, guys 🤫
Image source:Contiki
Make ’em laugh with envy
Speaking of work, how many of you are the office personality hire? Are you taking your role as personality hire seriously enough? How many jokes are you cracking a day, and have you considered that you should be cracking them even on your days off? Listen, if you’re not setting a cheeky and hilarious out of office message, then you’re doing it all wrong!
Lucky for you, and all 74% of respondents who said they were interested in being a little risqué with their out of office message before heading off on holiday, we have a tool that can help you! Whether it’s your first cheeky OOO message or you’re a seasoned pro looking to freshen things up, check out our out of office message generator – you’re welcome.
I am a Contiki traveller, I care about the world
It’s not a secret that sustainability and championing a better, brighter future for all is one of Contiki’s main priorities. And it really warms our heart to find that our audience holds these values in their hearts as well!
When asked whether making sustainable travel decisions and booking sustainable experiences was important to them or not, 47% agreed that it was very important and they actively seek these out, while 46% agreed it was something they considered as long as it didn’t incur extra costs. You guys 🥹
Moreover, overtourism is definitely becoming an issue in many beloved destinations, and it’s great to hear that 68% of our audience would look for an alternative holiday to help combat this!
Image source:Contiki
My revenge is finding peace
Follower count doesn’t mean much in this new social media economy, but aesthetics? A digital, visual amalgamation of looks and vibes you can belong to? Aesthetics are forever, and they might dictate your travel. But what aesthetic trends specifically?
Well, ever since the pandemic which must not be named, revenge travel has been a prominent holiday trend, and a quarter of respondents chose it as the cultural trend which is most likely to inspire them. Though, along with our previous stats about craving more time off from work, tech burnout is also a heavy influencer with 25% of people choosing that.
The winner, however, is the cosiest aesthetic of all, all about rural life, baking cookies, curling up under blankets, and admiring the changing landscapes and the beauty of the world: cottagecore attracted 29% of respondents as their main inspiration!
Pics or it didn’t happen
Between aesthetic daily vlogs governing TikTok to carefully curated photo dumps on Instagram, it’s impossible for Gen-Z and Millennials to escape the concept of a pretty social media profile – and sometimes pressure comes with that! When it comes to travel and sharing your amazing wanderlust-y pics, Instagram is responsible for inspiring 68% of people’s trips, and TikTok is responsible for 51%. That being said, influencers aren’t doing it for our audience that much… Only 23% take inspiration for their travel from influencers in the industry or otherwise!
It also looks like filters and false advertising is a total no go for our Contiki audience. A fifth of respondents said they love sharing their holiday pics on the gram, but they aren’t fussed about making them look nice and prefer to focus on the authentic instead. Additionally, only 10% of respondents said they feel pressure to make things look nice – it’s just not a really big concern!
Image source:Contiki
Trip down memory lane
Do you ever miss the days you could fall asleep in the backseat during a long road trip and wake up in bed because someone carried you there without waking you up? Truly one of those exclusively childhood moments we all took for granted, huh. Nostalgia is a funny thing, and it seems we’re all yearning for the good old days…
In fact, 57% of y’all said you would like to embark on a similar trip to one you took in your childhood, and 23% have already been on said trip! Love that for you guys, there’s truly something to be said about the power of reconnecting with old memories and making new ones.
Tech fatigue
You may think that Gen-Z and Millennials are glued to their phone, stuck in an endless loop of doomscrolling and reposting half-funny memes, but actually there seems to be a little tech fatigue going around… This follows the general theme of burnout and younger generations having such a strong sense of needing to spread their wings and fly; so it’s not surprising that 90% of travellers said yes when asked if they would give up their phone for a week in exchange for a free week-long holiday!
In the same vein, though AI is on the rise and causing many controversies around the world, it still hasn’t gotten that much coveted badge of trust. Only 18% of travellers said they would trust AI to book their entire holiday, whether that’s getting recommendations, sorting hotels and flights, or acting as a customer care person.
Looks like that human touch is still very much needed when it comes to seeing the world, which is a bloody good thing as there are happy, friendly locals everywhere ready to welcome you with open arms.
Image source:Contiki
Ignorance isn’t cute
Listen, we all have icks right? Dating icks, friend icks, job icks – they extend to travel too! What are Gen-Z and Millennials’ travel icks, you ask? Well, here they are.
20% said clapping when the plane lands, 17% said using selfie sticks – they’re sooooo 2010s… And 26% said wearing culturally inappropriate clothing! Ignorance isn’t cute, babe, and if you’re going to travel the world, you should also respect it.
Your body is your home
For 58% of respondents, keeping up a wellness routine and/or engaging in wellness-focused activities while away is important! Whereas only 4% of people don’t hold it as a consideration at all!
Maybe all that protein propaganda on social media is really working…
Image source:Contiki
Literally allergic to settling down
What would you give up in order to save money for your future travels and globetrotting? It takes more than cutting down on your sweet treats and cancelling your Netflix subscription. We’re talking about real sacrifice, and, apparently, the sacrifice is settling down.
Weddings (18%), engagement rings (10%), and having children (15%) were the three highest ranking sacrifices behind luxury goods (33%) of what our respondents were willing to give up to fund their travel dreams, showing that our Contiki travellers are more interested in seeing the world than staying put. Personally, we find that really inspiring – you’ve got all the time in the world to settle down afterwards, but you’ve gotta meet new people from everywhere first.
