Have your travel preferences changed as you’ve gotten older? While pretty much everyone loves to take a vacation, new research shows that 59% of Americans say their vacation priorities have shifted with age.
A new survey of 2-thousand U.S. adults who travel (split evenly by generations) looks at how people of different generations get ready for vacations and what they like to do most during them.
- One major difference is the way people of different ages feel about relaxing on a trip. While more than half of both Gen X (51%) and baby boomers (57%) prioritize relaxation while traveling, 30% of millennials think it’s a waste of time.
- Gen Z (54%) and millennials (45%) are both more interested in making memories than relaxing on a trip.
- Sightseeing is a thing of the past, according to a quarter of millennials, and 28% of Gen Z isn’t interested in learning new things while traveling.
- No matter what they do on a trip, for 28% of all respondents traveling is a high priority.
- People of all generations like family-friendly (33%) and tropical (27%) destinations, but Gen Z (25%) and millennials (24%) also love hitting up theme parks on a vacation.
- Before traveling, Gen Z is most likely to create a vacation plan (60%), while baby boomers are likeliest to just go with the flow (40%).
- For 65% of baby boomers and 53% of Gen Xers, going with the flow helps them avoid feeling rushed or stuck with a plan.
- Gen Z enjoys the safety they feel by planning things out (46%) and they turn to social media for help planning (55%) and inspiration (66%).
- Older Americans are more old school, with Gen X counting on word of mouth recommendations (44%) and baby boomers using travel magazines for advice (34%).
- Millennials are most likely to read restaurant menus before traveling (34%), while Gen X looks at photos others have posted (36%).
- More than three-quarters (77%) of respondents who traveled with their parents when growing up plan to continue the tradition of traveling with their kids to bond (66%) and make memories (65%).
Source: Talker