‘Passion Travel’ Is the Future
Thrillist surveyed 2,000 people, focusing on Gen Z, to better understand the state of travel today and the role it plays in our lives.
Published on 7/16/2024 at 10:00 AM
Over the last few years, our entire relationship to travel has changed. First came the pandemic lockdown, followed by a period of whirlwind revenge travel—a collective wanderlust that turned into a barrage of ambitious trips to bucket-list destinations.
What happens next?
To better understand how Americans think about travel now, Thrillist worked with Vox Media’s Insights and Research team and partnered with The Circus, an insights and data storytelling consultancy, to survey 2,000 adults between the ages of 18 and 75. And what we found is that we shouldn’t be asking what will be the instigator of the next big change in travel habits and trends, but who.
Young people, and especially Gen Z, are fundamentally reshaping our views of tourism and the role travel plays in our lives. Although we surveyed a very small slice of the population, the results mirror much of what we’ve seen as travel journalists at Thrillist—and truthfully, it’s exciting.
Travel, identity, and personal expression are intertwined
Travel at its best can fundamentally alter how we see ourselves and the world around us. But young travelers today are not just letting but wanting their travel experiences to define them.
We see this in travelers seeking out experiences that speak to their personal backgrounds or heritage, or ones that help to strengthen their bonds with cultures and communities around the world. Of the Gen Zers and Millennials we surveyed, 76% feel their travel experience says a lot about who they are, and 72% say traveling is core to their identity and part of how they express themselves.
Given this, they see it as a form of self-investment; 88% affirm that travel has impacted their personal growth. This signifies a move away from traditional sightseeing toward profound soul-searching. In essence, we are increasingly viewing travel as a means of self-exploration—discovering the world to deepen our own personal enrichment.
“Young travelers today are not just letting but wanting their travel experiences to define them.”
Travel is a financial priority
Young travelers may not yet have the highest spending power, but their money follows their values: 89% of Gen Zers and 87% of Millennials told us that travel is a financial priority for them, more so than any other generation we surveyed. We also asked them how they typically spend across other categories, and compared to everything else (food, clothing, health, etc), we found that they are most likely to pay more to get exactly what they want for travel specifically.
So, yes, travel is incredibly important to young people—and because it’s so highly valued, they want to get it right. Not just any vacation spot will do; they want travel experiences that are as unique as they are. In fact, 84% say they prefer destinations that are off the beaten path.
‘Passion travel’ is the future
Unlike Gen Xers or Boomers, 77% of the Gen Zers and Millennials we surveyed say they choose travel experiences based on their personal interests, not the destination. Whether it's food-focused journeys, music festival trips, wellness retreats, educational vacations, or eco-tourism experiences, younger travelers lean on their passions to explore the world. Of the travelers we surveyed who plan to book a flight in the next year, 63% say they will purchase tickets or plan activities for that trip prior to purchasing a plane ticket.
“Younger travelers lean on their passions to explore the world.”
Ultimately, tourist hot spots and travel trends will come and go, but younger generations are already reimagining how and why we travel. As they chart their travels around personal passions, they are crafting a new narrative for exploration—one where the road less traveled is not just a path to new places, but a journey toward deeper self-discovery. The most meaningful travel experiences are those that connect us both to the world around us as well as our truest selves, and in this new era of travel, it’s the inner transformation that defines the adventure.
What we found is a shift in priorities that promises to usher in a new era of passion-led, self-discovery travel.
Credits
Study Authors: Julia Goorin, Edwin Wong
Research Partner: Sebastian Fernandez
Illustrator: Lauren O'Connell
Art Director: Manali Doshi
Senior Engineer: Graham MacAree
Editor-in-Chief: Lindsay Schrupp
Methodology:
In March 2024, the Vox Media Insights and Research team surveyed 2,000 travelers with The Circus, an insight and data storytelling consultancy that specializes in original trend research, thought leadership, and strategic brand positioning rooted in a human-data-centric approach.
