Summer vacation is coming and people are starting to make their summer vacation plans. While people of all ages appreciate any opportunity to get away from work, older and younger generations seem to have very different ideas about travel and what they want to do with their downtime in July and August. In fact, according to a recent summer travel survey, Millennials are more enthusiastic than other generations about exploring new cities and/or hanging out with friends and family, while Gen Z's intrepid teens are looking for some exciting adventures. Then again, most travelers still want to sit on the beach. The world is full of choices!
The survey, conducted by credit card company Discover, surveyed 1,100 Americans over the age of 18 to learn about their favorite summer travel habits. For Generation Z (those born after 1996), relaxation falls on the low end, with only 14% looking to relax through travel. "Adventure" is a top-seller among the youngest generation, with 30% of Gen Z ranking it as the No. 1 title. Exploring a new city and spending time with friends and family ranked in the middle, with 22% ranking both first. For Gen Z, the least important thing is nightlife, accounting for only 2%.
For Millennials, spending time with friends and family is highest at 28%. This is followed by a desire to explore a new city or destination (26%), and to relax and unwind (24%). Ranking lower were adventure (8%), practicing a passion or hobby (4%), volunteering (4%) and nightlife (2%).
Meanwhile, Generation Xers prefer to relax and unwind on vacation, with 34% ranking highest. 24% of Gen Xers want to vacation with friends and family, and 23% want to explore a new city or destination. Only 10% of Generation Xers like adventure, 3% enjoy nightlife, and 1% want to practice their hobbies.
Baby boomers are least interested in spending time with loved ones, with 36% claiming it is their favorite holiday activity. 30% choose to relax, 22% want to see new places, 7% crave adventure, 3% feel the need to practice their passions and 1% want new nightlife.
The Silent Generation, those born between the mid-20s and mid-40s, spend most of their time with friends and family at 46%, but 27% of respondents want to explore new cities and destinations. Nine percent seek adventure and two percent want to practice their hobbies. Not surprisingly, not a single senior citizen seeks out popular nightlife spots.
As for where people want to go , nearly every generation wants to go to the beach, although Millennials and Gen highest proportion) 21%. ) 17% of Millennials say they want to visit urban destinations, as do 15% of Gen Xers. 29% of the Silent Generation are passionate about cruising, which makes sense if you’ve ever been on a cruise. 27% of baby boomers invest the most in road trips, which appeals least to Gen Z. Overall, everyone invests the least in staycations, because who wants to spend their precious summer vacation at home?
However, one of the most shocking things about the survey is how few people of any generation use credit card points to travel – 26% of respondents said they “never” use credit card points to travel, and 20% People say they only use credit card points once a year. As someone who recently used credit card points to travel to California and Key West for free, may I suggest changing this?
