Relaxation Not a Vacation Priority for Gen Z

Younger Americans think relaxing on vacation is overrated, according to new research.

Is Gen Z committed to cars more than any other generation? A new poll has revealed a trend about just how serious the nation’s newest set of consumers are about vehicles.

A survey of 2,000 Americans who travel (evenly split by generation) looked at how people of different ages vacation and found both Gen X (51%) and baby boomers (57%) prioritize relaxation when traveling; whereas, Gen Z (54%) and millennials (45%) are more interested in making memories.

In fact, 29% of those who don’t prioritize relaxation when they’re away find it to be a waste of time — especially millennials (30%).

Conducted by Talker Research for Apple Vacations, the survey found that these preferences may change in the future, as 59% shared their vacation priorities have shifted as they got older.

A quarter of millennials reported that sightseeing is a thing of the past and Gen Z is no longer prioritizing learning new things while traveling (28%).

Respondents from different generations recalled the average age they were when their vacation preferences changed. Gen Z preferences shift at age 18, while Millennials see it at 27, Gen X at 38 and Baby Boomers at 54.

Something that won’t change is Americans’ love for traveling, with one in four sharing that traveling is a high priority for them these days (28%).

Although Millennials are most focused on traveling right now (38%), Gen Z (35%) is most likely to surpass the average number of trips taken annually.

Looking at the differences in how they enjoy this time away, results showed that Baby Boomers (74%) prefer domestic travel, while Gen Z (14%) is the most likely to enjoy international travel.

Family-friendly (33%) and tropical (27%) destinations are favored across the generations, but Gen Z (25%) and Millennials (24%) also share a strong love for theme parks.

Aside from their top picks, Gen X (21%) and Baby Boomers (24%) are also drawn to small towns.

Before their trip, Gen Z is especially keen on creating a vacation plan (60%) and Baby Boomers are the likeliest to go with the flow (40%).

Planners find comfort in mapping their day (56%) and say it helps them make the most of their time (54%).

Gen Z embraces the safety they feel when planning things out (46%), while baby boomers who prefer to plan ahead also enjoy the feeling of checking off things they want to do (50%).

When travel planning, Millennials are most likely to use a travel agent (18%), while Gen Z leans heavily on social media for planning (55%) and inspiration (66%).

Originally published by Talker News