Travel is Booming

We’ll soon be riding into 2024, and travel appears to be back in a big way. Prodege’s ongoing Travel Attitudes survey completed by 1,000+ respondents across the United States each month showed in October that 44% plan on spending more on travel in the next 6 months compared to the same time a year ago. Planned length of trip is up as well, with travelers planning to spend almost 10% more nights away from home in the next 6 months than a year ago.

Oh the Places You’ll Go

When it comes to researching an upcoming trip, more than 50% say that they turn to the internet and/or talk to friends and family. But don’t stop the presses! While younger generations prefer getting their travel information via social media, old habits die hard with older generations who still turn to traditional brochures and guidebooks – that is to say, Baby Boomers are twice as likely to use brochures and guidebooks than Generation Z.

Booming Business

With many brands seemingly putting efforts toward winning over Zoomers’ business, you may wonder why we should care about Baby Boomers. Our research reminds us it’s important not to forget about this aging generation. After all, Boomers are planning to spend more than twice as much on travel during the next 6 months than Gen Z!

Ready, Set, Go

As one may expect, our research illustrates significant generational differences when it comes to travel spend trends. 

We found that Boomers are more likely to spend travel funds on transportation and lodging (think more expensive undertakings such as cruises and group tours) and spend more nights away from home when they travel. On the other hand, Millennials and Zoomers are more than twice as likely as Boomers to spend their travel money booking organized activities.

No doubt in an effort to attract younger travelers, both Google and Airbnb have expanded their businesses to include the ability to book activities and attractions. While Google added features enabling visitors to compare admission prices across different partners and book tickets and experiences right from the platform, Airbnb Experiences can be used to book a variety of activities and excursions.

In a world still bouncing back from past constraints, travel has emerged as a symbol of resilience.