U.S. Millennials Travel the Most but Gen Z Is on the Rise

The behavior of millennials garners plenty of attention, but Generation Z is growing in importance for travel marketers. These highly digital and eager travelers are beginning to enter the workforce, and they want to travel the world right now.

Expedia Media Solutions, Expedia's advertising arm, polled 1,001 U.S. travelers who booked a trip online in the last year on their behavior and preferences. Results show that millennials (ages 24 to 35) travel the most, 35 days each year, but were followed closely by Generation Z travelers (ages 18 to 23), who travel 29 days each year. Generation X travels the least, the result of work and family commitments.

“While some of the findings were expected, such as Generation Z being more influenced by social media than Baby Boomers, we also uncovered surprising nuances and distinct habits within each generation, including the insight that millennials are most likely to be influenced by advertising,” said Wendy Olson Killion, global senior director at Expedia Media Solutions.

Generation Z spent a quarter of their budget on flights, the most of any age group, and are likely to seek cheaper accommodations in a destination. They are also heavily influenced by social media during the trip inspiration and planning phases, with nearly 90 percent saying their decisions are influenced by social media.

Generation Z travelers want adventure, while millennials want comfort; 83 percent of millennials said they prefer all-inclusive and other worry-free vacations, and 70 percent stayed in a hotel on their last trip.

Generation X, having settled down and started families, are deal-conscious and tend to travel domestically. Just 12 percent traveled internationally in the last year, and 93 percent said they look for the best deals.

Baby Boomers act like, well, Baby Boomers, spending more on hotels and experiences on shorter trips overall. They know where they want to go before starting to plan a trip, with 55 percent already knowing their destination, and more than two in three traveled to visit family in the last year.

Check out an infographic with more insights below.

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