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WHY TRAVEL?
Generally, a traveler’s choice is based on many criteria. We are going to focus on two key parameters- Age and Money. We know that each generation has a different mindset. It is interesting to see the impact of experiences and thinking patterns, on travel choices.
We are going to reflect on the travel reasons behind each age group, and also throw light on their preferences.
Generation Alpha (5-12 years)
At this age, kids would mainly be dependent on their parents and guardians, for planning a trip. However, we cannot deny that children nowadays have an important say in these family trips.
Some children would openly state their preferences, and others would pick from the choices offered to them, by their parents. This age-group primarily considers the fun-filled holidays, spent in a kid-friendly resort, or the ones containing good gaming zones and pools.
They enjoy destinations that have amusement parks such as Disneyland, water parks, haunted houses, etc.
Few kids also prefer visiting the countryside, farmhouses, trekking, etc. The main idea is to enjoy a vacation in the summer break or a long weekend, which can give them a break along with an outing constituting some learning.
Generation Z (13-19 years)
Young adults like to travel to exciting destinations, marked with adventure activities like climbing, trekking, bungee jumping, and skiing. The trips are planned on the basis of the variety of activities present in a given place.
School trips or camping should include some sort of an adventurous element in it. Maybe going to jungle safari or attending a concert or sports match are a few of the preferred reasons to travel.
The late teens or the students often plan for weekend getaways or short trips with their friend’s group. They are generally divided into two categories. One of them has budgetary constraints. They would choose normal hotels or inns over expensive stays. The other category is the ‘Flashpackers’, who usually spend more money on each trip and believe in flashy holidays.
The Millennial (20-39 years)
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Millennials usually travel for work purposes or going out on a vacation with friends and family. They would choose exotic locations and stay in luxury, upscale hotels, and resorts. They would look for an organized trip, with a maximum of services and minimum hassle.
Also, this generation is influenced by social media and they often do a lot of research, before finalizing the destination and staying options.
Another distinctive characteristic of this group, they believe in experiential travel. They travel to places according to their deep-rooted interests.
Wellness travel is also immensely popular in this travel group. They often travel to get away from their hectic work schedule, to relax and pamper themselves. For such travelers, budgeting is the last thing on their minds.
GENERATION X ( 40- 60 years)
This group shares some similar characteristics with the Millennial. The only difference being, they are more family-oriented and a few of them even have their children settled.
They travel for leisure purposes. However, this category can be expected to spend the same as millennials on the total trip, including luxury resorts and food.
They at times travel to places which fulfill, some of their childhood desires such as visiting ancient ruins, world trips, visiting football world cup final in other countries etc.
The Retired/Baby Boomers
(60 and above)
The retired and seniors often want to travel and explore the world as they are free from the responsibilities and have funds in hand.
They generally focus on safety and comfort throughout. They would opt for a shorter journey time and are ready to pay extra for peace, physical comfort, and where medical facilities are within reach. The trips that they choose are more luxury-oriented. Nowadays special packages for senior citizens are widely prevalent.
Usually, the idea is to spend more and get a ‘value for money’ experience. The older generation also loves to take river cruise rides and safari trips. Their research is more based on handbooks, journals, and magazines. Most of the people belonging to this category are generally well-read and full of experiences and that impact their choice of destination.
Very informative article….
Interesting perspective on different travelers preferences based on their generational ages. Though I will say that you may have messed up on the Boomer bracket. those 40 – 60 are actually one of the biggest groups now known as Gen X. While the Baby Boomers are older than 60! Gen X is actually one of the biggest markets for the travel industry now as they tend to mix with Gen Y or older Millenials as you marked them while still travelling for fun and family!
Thanks for pointing out, I checked again and yes you are correct. I will get it edited immediately.
An interesting post. I definitely identify with the millennial category, and it’s spookily true! I think my parents also fit the baby boomers description.
Lol, I know I also fall into the same category.
Since I fit in the “Retired” category, I was interested to see how close this was. One that does not ring true is the one about opting for shorter journey times. If that means “travel time to get to the start/end”, then maybe. But since we have the flexibility to travel as long as we want, we travel for much longer times. And we can take long to get somewhere to start / end a trip. And I must admit that we are atypical because most of our research is done online and we love advice from travel bloggers. But then, I guess that is not surprising.
Linda I agree with your point of view, but during our research, we came across senior citizens groups that categorically ask for 3 days 2 nights trips. And they wanted to ensure that proper medical care in case of need should be near. Yes, I have also seen retired people, who are on roads for 15 days at a stretch.
It’s quite exciting to see the various types of travelers. I have been in two different age groups already! Looking forward to the next 2 now!
Now that’s quite a perspective and insights into the traveller. I am totally moving up the ladder of the types, can’t wait to enjoy my journey more
Very well classified into these age groups. It was such a good read
I found the classification very interesting and agree with the description too.
Interesting breakdown of the age groups! I feel like the groups might be broken up a little different, but like seeing how travel in general changes as we grow. My travel buddy is my mother, and since we’re at two different stages, it’s interesting to see how we blend our preferences to make a trip we both love!
Thanks Lia, you have given me an interesting point of view. We could have also elaborated on the evolving travel preferences with age.
Understanding the target group is very important for any business. Your blog post serves as a good guide to hoteliers and the tourism industry.
Thanks for sharing this classification I really found this very interesting. And yes we often do a lot of research, before finalizing the destination and staying options. 😉
An interesting take in travelers and their choices. Never tjought if this classification but itvhas got me thinking and observing travelers ina a different way.
Interesting. I fall in generation X, and definitely also travel to find the most adventures (beyond halftime) while I’m still healthy.
I find the older I get, the more I appreciate the history of a region. When I was in my 20-30’s, I wasn’t very interested in history. Nowadays, I want to experience it all.
This is quite a good generalized summary of travelers’ preferences based on age. It is so true that your tastes and priorities change quite radically as you progress through the different brackets. It’s just as well that there are just so many great choices available now (especially when the pandemic is under control!).
Very true, that’s why it is important to make wise choices, as the time and budget are limited.
The list highly depends on the kind of people and what they’re seeking for I guess. As a person in my mid twenties, there are times I prefer going for an exotic place where I feel like getting pampered. And there are times I feel like backpacking in the most minimum budget to live a raw experience.
The list is beautifully compiled though. Gave me an idea of what usually the age groups prefer in general.
Michelle what you say is true, at times we might feel like doing things which other generation travelers do.I haven’t done backpacking when I was in my 20s so I would like to explore it now.
The list is beautifully compiled. Gave me an idea of what usually the age groups prefer in general.
However, the list highly depends on the kind of people and what they’re seeking for I guess. As a person in my mid twenties, there are times I prefer going for an exotic place where I feel like getting pampered. And there are times I feel like backpacking in the most minimum budget to live a raw experience.
Interesting post! It was interesting to see the different preferences for the age groups. I can certainly relate to the 5-12 years group. My daughter is 6 and she enjoys the fun destinations like the theme parks. It seems like it is always a struggle with the outdoors/hiking stuff. I always do try to incorporate some learning when we travel so it is somewhat educational. I always say travel is the best education experience!
The same is with my kid, now before traveling to any destination, I need to keep their interest in mind.
Interesting list – I didn’t even know about the Alpha generation yet! I liked seeing the trends by each generation.
This is the beauty of reading, the more we read the more knowledgeable we become.
Your segmentation of travelers and preferences is interesting and so is your perspective. In terms of travel brands, they would be logically looking at those travelers whose spending would account for about 80% of the travel market, as keeping with Pareto’s rule. Indeed this study would be of interest to marketers if you also have data to back it.
I’m Generation X, and I still travel for adventure. I love hiking, backpacking, sleeping in a tent. I love van life. I’m not too fond of a luxury resort or hotels and an organized trip. But it’s me 🙂
I belong to the millenial and we are the highest spenders though 🙂
Wow, this is quite interesting 🙂 I fall in Millennial but I am not up for a luxury resort or hotels 😛 But thanks for sharing this post.
I’m a millennial and definitely more into the exciting holidays that generation Z tend to prefer. But then again i think it’s all depends. I have friends who are in their late 40’s and 50’s and do more exciting adrenaline pack trips than me. And generation Z family who are more into the chilled and pampering/luxury of millennials. I’m intrigued if this is from people you know or have you found this information via stats or working with travel companies
Nicole, I agree with your point of view, the preferences vary at times. The division which we have shared is after averaging out the responses. We did a small survey and came to this conclusion, also secondary research also helped.
Great analysis! I never thought about some of these points you’ve made, but it all makes perfect sense hearing it now in this post. Well said
According to your list, I’m in the Gen X category, and unashamedly I enjoy a little luxury when travelling. Travel is a lifestyle and I think mostly it will depend on interests. Interesting article.
Interesting topic! I think you have complied the travel preferences very nicley. I can relate with Genaration Alpha – certainly my son has similar preferences. For myself, I felt my travel interests are spanning across Millennial till Retired. Great post👌👌
Very interesting article for sure. I belong to the millennial category and ya to a certain extent I agree, I have started to indulge in more exotic locations as opposed to any travels and love the beautiful places to stay too.
Interesting perspective on different travellers preferences based on their generational ages. I belong to the millennial group and I guess we are the highest spenders hahaha.
Interesting take on how people from different generations and age groups travel. For me, most travel has been with my family as we were growing up, and a few on my own/with friends! Every travel exp is different, and for me, it’s a mix of circumstances, opportunity & mood that defines what kind of travel and with who I plan, but of course it’s not always possible to plan in that manner when one is working & away from family.
Even though I belong to the age group of the millenials but still I love to enjoy the generation Z and generation Alpha category tours.
Very good post about the travellers and preferences. Highly informative. Nicely written. Keep up the good work.
I need no reason to travel but I couldn’t disagree to any points of yours. Every traveller has their preference, and you have nicely paragraphed them. I will come under the Millennial though for now.
Interesting combination, so informative. Every traveler indeed has their own goals and preferences.