The Differences in How Each Generation Travels: From Planning to Preferences

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People are living longer than ever before. In fact, Pew Research suggests that with Generation Beta making its debut this year (Gen Beta will be people born between 2025 and 2039), it was thought to mark the first time in history that so many generations of people—seven distinct generations—were alive all at the same time.

Meet the Generations

Here are the seven generations:

• Silent Generation – born between 1925 and 1945.
• Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964, born after World War II (the name is due to the postwar population “boom”)
• Generation X – born between 1965 and 1979.
• Millennials – born between 1980 and 1994.
• Gen Z – born between 1995 and 2009.
• Gen Alpha – born between 2010 and 2024. They’re not travel consumers yet but they have definite opinions on family travel.
• Gen Beta – born between 2025 and 2039. These are just babies right now

Obviously, each generation, as a whole, is different from the ones before and after it. Not surprisingly, they all travel differently as well. I mean, it’s probably not surprising that while Gen Z gets their travel info from TikTok and Insta, older generations tend to rely more on travel agents and tour groups.

How Different Generations Travel

Silent Generation

The youngest of the Silent Generation are turning 80 this year. Many people think of 80-year-olds as “old people.” I guess to some extent that’s true, but there are still plenty of people in their 80s, and even some looking at 90 or more, who are healthy, happy, and still traveling.

According to Jozef Verbruggen, founder of travel specialist group, Untamed Travelling, members of the Silent Generation prefer to revisit places they’ve been to before and particularly liked. They tend to opt for private tours and will spend more time in a single place, rather than use up energy to travel from town to town or country to country.

The name of the game for the Silent Generation traveling is security, familiarity, and maximizing every moment possible.

Baby Boomers

If there’s one thing traveling Baby Boomers tend to have, it’s money. And they’re not afraid to spend it. They tend to focus on lavish “dream” trips, like seeing the Northern Lights or traveling to Australia.

Baby Boomers typically like private tours, and will often combine several destinations into one trip, says Verbruggen. They’re also the generation that will initiate “family” vacations with all the kids and grandkids.

Gen X

Gen X was the “latchkey generation” who learned to be planners from an early age. From Virtuoso:

This group has a natural distrust of authority based on a rise in divorce during their childhood years, two recessions, political controversies, the Cold War and the AIDS epidemic; however, it has also led to extreme loyalty to those entities and individuals who do earn their trust (like their travel advisor).

As they’ve grown, Gen Xers remain “planners” when it comes to travel.

As Virtuoso suggested, Gen Xers tend to use travel agents, but because they want everything to go smoothly, they’ll focus on logistical questions, Plan Bs, etc.

Most members of Gen X are looking at retirement “down the road,” but most are still actively working. They’re also the current “sandwich generation,” tasked with looking after their parent(s) and kids. A Virtuoso study suggests that because of their hectic schedules, Gen Xers tend to travel less than the other generations, but when they do travel, they spend a significant amount of money.

Millennials

Millennials were the first generation to literally grow up with technology, so they have no problems doing their own research online. In fact, travel booking platform Omio reported that 48% of Millennials and Gen Zers plan to use AI this year to plan their travels (last year, that number was only 31%).

Millennials are also the adventurous risk-takers who crave authenticity. Safaris, for example, are very popular with this generation.

Gen Z

Like the Millennials before them, Gen Z likes luxury. But their main goal is being active and adventurous. And the more of these adventures they can post on social media, the better.

Gen Z looks for once-in-a-lifetime activities, but they maintain a stance of being planet-friendly (69% of Gen Zers are drawn to places that promote sustainable travel). They’re also the group most likely to participate in sober tourism, and to travel solo.

Gen Alpha

The oldest Gen Alphas are only 15, but they’re already influencing their respective family’s vacation based on what they’ve seen on YouTube, TikTok, etc.

In fact, according to surveys conducted by Beaches Resorts, 85% of U.S.-born Gen Alpha children have had significant input on where the family went on vacation. As examples, that included beach vacations above all others (36%), theme parks (32%), historical sites (14%), cities (9%), and natural wonders (9%).

Gen Beta

These youngest travelers may be infants, or in utero, and the vast majority haven’t even been conceived yet. They will undoubtedly grow up with AI and other technological advances, some of which we can’t even imagine right now. It will be interesting to see how they travel as they become older.

H/T: Afar, Virtuoso

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