4 Different Ways Millennials Are Changing The Face Of Travel

In 2019, travel is no longer a luxury but has become a necessity. There are pictures of exotic destinations flooding the social media feeds of millennials and there are adventure excursions everyone is talking about. It is no surprise that travel has become a top priority for this generation and majority millennials are more likely to travel abroad than their older counterparts. In addition, they are also willing to budget more for their trips. It is evident that this generation has become an important part of the travel industry and will continue to remain so. Here are a few different ways in which millennials are continuing to change the face of travel.

1. Cultural Experiences

There is a term called experience economy which is deemed by businesses to create memorable events for the customers. The experience economy is consuming the travel industry as most millennials choose to spend their money on experiences than on material items. Almost 86% of millennials would experience a new culture as compared to 44% who would prefer to party. Millennials are choosing an authentic cultural experience over a party. Millennials are taking a step out of their comfort zone and are looking to experience a new culture and take in an authentic meal. They are giving the safety and convenience of a touristy restaurant a miss. More than half of the millennials would prefer to choose a destination because they want to experience a culture and learn something new while they travel.

2. “Bleisure” travel

For the older generation, business travel was an added benefit of their job. However, today we see a number of millennials make their career decisions based on their ability to travel. This has created a whole new concept around travel known as bleisure travel. It is basically mixing business with leisure and is very popular amongst the millennials. Joy Bray from ChiChi LLC (https://chichillc.com/) says that millennials prefer to take bleisure trips, which is where you make time to have meaningful cultural experiences when on a business trip. It has been noted that employees aged below 30 are traveling more for business as compared to employees above 30. Millennials are making the most of fewer responsibilities at home like families and children and are looking to extend business trips as often as they can. More than 50% of millennials are likely to extend their business vacations in order to gain a cultural experience or to see more of the world while on their company’s dime. They strive to finish business first and then extend the stay for leisure which allows them to make the most of the destination they are in.

3. Group travel

As against the common idea of solo travel is dangerous, there are as many as 37% of millennials who intend to take a solo trip in the coming months. However, going solo does not mean going completely all by yourself. Traveling solo but in a group can give you the freedom and a safety net of a larger group. Solo travel has become very attractive and easy when planned with a customized tour operator. There are freedom and security at the same time.

4. Hostels are appealing

Millennials are the fastest growing age segment when it comes to spending money on travel. Hence, it does not come as a surprise that they make up a huge percentage of hostel guests. Young travelers are on the lookout for affordable options which is making hostels more appealing than hotels. Hostels are affordable and placed in convenient locations. They also provide additional social opportunities for travelers to meet individuals of their age and share their interests. Hostels have reinvented themselves and offer private rooms, spas, bars, movie theaters, and pools. There are big hotel brands that are exploring hostel like accommodation options so as to meet the changing demands of young travelers.

The increase in hostels across the globe shows that millennials have a huge impact on the travel industry and it will continue to remain so. Millennials are willing to take a pay cut to travel for work and are also willing to pay an additional amount for an authentic dining experience. Millennials are indeed a different breed of travelers and they cannot be avoided by the travel industry. They form a significant part of the global travel industry and the different ways of travel chosen by millennials have brought about a drastic change in the entire industry.