As the 2024 draws to an end, it is clear the world of travel saw many trends come and go.
Looking ahead to 2025, Contiki released its annual Voice of a Generation report, which surveyed over 1 000 Americans aged 18 to 35 years old about the psychographics that will influence the 2025 travel landscape.
According to the report, research shows that millennial and Gen Z travellers are “unequivocally travel-first generations” willing to make sacrifices to travel more.
“These generations are scrappy when it comes to funding their holidays and more than half of travellers have moved back home or would consider moving back home with their parents to save disposable income to put towards travel,” said the survey.
As we look forward to the 2025 travel year, here are key trends shaping the 2025 travel season, according to the report.
1. Prioritising holidays over promotions
The report revealed that while a career is still a priority for young Americans, with 54 percent striving to strike a balance between work and travel, a growing number of young professionals are prioritising travel over their careers.
“A third of young professionals (33%) noted that travel is even more important than advancing their career, so much so that 56 percent would give up a raise to have more paid time off (PTO) for travel,” said the travel company.
It also added not having enough PTO was the second-largest barrier holding this generation back from booking their next trip, while, coincidentally, the biggest travel barrier was “not having enough money to travel.”
“These new findings demonstrate 18- to 35-year-olds are more interested in embracing full-on holiday vibes with more than half reporting they prefer to completely disconnect from work while travelling, versus booking a bleisure trip,” said the company.
2. Rogue trips
The travel company also noted that travellers are going rogue in 2025, influenced by escaping their everyday routines and the impending election frenzy, spurring travellers to flee.
It also found that over half of travellers said they’d prefer to visit off-the-beaten-path destinations instead of ticking off all the main attractions in iconic destinations.
“The report shows that 70% of travellers are considering acting on impulse and booking spontaneous trips that depart in less than 10 days and a staggering 78% of travellers have considered booking a trip to escape the U.S. election chaos,” said Contiki.
It said that this demographic is all about embracing the counter-culture even when it comes to destinations, where over 80% reported they plan to skip mainstream holiday hubs and opt for more far-out alternatives such as the Philippines instead of the Maldives or Albania instead of Croatia.
3. Clear-mind tourism
The report also highlighted that sober tourism continues to trend with 83% of millennials and Gen Z travellers noting an interest in booking a sober travel experience.
“Gone are the days of the party-obsessed young traveller, Gen Z and millennials want to experience their adventures with a clear head.
“This trend aligns with the key motivators for travel in 2025: to immerse in local culture (34%); to learn something new and enriching (24%); relax and rejuvenate (23%); and embark on thrilling, adrenaline-pumping adventures (18%),” said the travel company.
4. Travel with strangers
Contiki also said that when it comes to travel companions, Gen Z and millennials are ready to leave their friends behind.
“This generation is very open to forming new relationships while travelling; 58% noted that instead of travelling with current friends, they’d prefer to just book the trip and make new friends along the way,” said the company.
5. Involved travel
Lastly, the Voice of Generation report also said that sustainable travel has long been on the rise and will only continue to grow in importance as 90% of 18- to 35-year-old travellers stated sustainability was important to them while travelling.
These travellers revealed that leaving a positive impact on the destination, visiting communities (42%) and helping to preserve wildlife (38%), were some important things to them while conversations around carbon emissions ranked less important (19%).
“These findings demonstrate the growing interest in witnessing direct impact by participating in immersive environmentally positive experiences while travelling, first-hand versus focusing on the nuance of indirect impact that carbon offset programs offer, for instance,” said Contiki.
