FIVE MILLENNIAL TRAVEL TRENDS IN 2024
Purpose-Driven Travel
It seems that Millennial travellers are no longer easily entertained. They are seeking purpose beyond the average travellers that view vacation as a “day on the beach or cabana.” Nowadays, it takes more than a fancy spa treatments, cleverly-named cocktails, and private beach clubs to “wow” a Millennial traveller. Millennial travellers are seeking more purposeful travel experiences such that relate to the local culture, environment, or learning a new skills during their holiday. That new skill may range from playful sports like archery to in-depth technical learning like culinary arts or yes…even coding.
Sustainable/Conscious Travel
All this talk about purposeful travel bring me to my next point, which is conscious travel. The goal of conscious travel is to create a sustainable travel economy that ultimately gives back to local communities and/or takes into account environmental preservation. No wonder why the travel industry is taking advantage of the current uptick in eco-friendly tourism. There are now countless apps that help travellers reduce their carbon footprint whilst travelling and connect them to eco-friendly accommodations as well. It is clear that sustainable, conscious travel has been highly supported by the Millennial generation.
Memorable Experiences vs. High Ticket Purchases
Let’s be real, would I’d rather get a designer purse or go on a one week tour to Paris, France? The fact is designer purchases tend to collect dust on the shelf after several flaunts around town. Then, you look up and realize this newly coveted purchase is now “out of season”, therefore decreasing it’s former retail value. So all in all, it still stands that Millennials are always into making memories as opposed to retail goods.
Micro-cations
Many Millennials are crunched for time in today’s world and must maximize their paid time off (PTO). Micro-cations are short 3-5 day trips that are commonly taken over a long weekend. A Millennial might take off work a Friday and/or a Monday for instance, which will increase the length of their trip whilst minimizing the vacation days used. Shorter trips are more achievable in comparison to taking extended holidays of one or two weeks.
Local Culture Awareness & Education
Millennials are in search of the most authentic cultural experiences, which essentially means wanting to live like a local. Now, this is possible to do on cheap or through paid tours catered to different interests such as bicycling culture tours or local wine tastings. The free or shall I say, “tipping optional” version is also available with many locals volunteering their spare time to provide tours around their hometown city.
