Millennials are now, officially, the largest generation in the U.S.
According to U.S. Census Bureau reports, the generation whose ages ranged between 18 and 34 in 2015 now outnumbers baby boomers with more than 75 million people. Boomers number just under the 75 million mark, and Gen-X is numbered at around 66 million.
The millennial population is also still increasing, buoyed by immigration.
So what does this have to do with travel?
Another survey done by eDreams shows that millennials are five times more well-traveled than their grandparents, and it's likely that future generations will be even more so.
The Travel Through Generations report looks at how travel has changed over the years. Its most recent edition compares travel today to travel 50 years ago in eight countries: U.S.A., U.K., France, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy and Portugal.
By the age of 5, millennials are five times more well-traveled than their grandparents were at the same age for those living in the U.S. Most importantly to the travel industry, more than 50 percent of Americans travel more now than they did 10 years ago.
Ninety-four percent of Americans choose to travel domestically, and Millennials are more likely to travel to discover new places each year. This makes them the largest generation of travelers to date, and their appetite for new journeys is only increasing.
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While the number of potential and likely travelers in the U.S. is increasing, it continues to lag behind compared to other nations in the survey.
Americans tend to begin international travel later in life. On average, their first trip abroad is at age 17 but many still never leave the country at all. The most popular country to travel to internationally is southern neighbor Mexico.
It will be interesting to see if this trend continues into the future or if, as the number of boomers decreases, the average number of travelers increases. This would make sense, considering the Census Bureau believes that Gen-X, like Millennials already, will outnumber boomers by 2028.
The love, passion and need for travel are also likely to be transferred to even younger generations. We as a society have yet to see what their appetite for wanderlust will look like.
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We now live in the age of the "global citizen", and Gen-X and millennial parents seem hell bent on raising globally aware children who have traveled the world and have a well-defined worldview long before they graduate from higher education institutions.
To get an idea of just what the next generation, often referred to as generation Z, might look like, here are some statistics:
-Gen Z makes up a quarter of the U.S. population and already contributes $44 billion to the economy. In 2020, they will be one-third of the population and the most powerful spenders.
-They are compelled by visual images and video.
-They take approximately 2.5 holidays per year.
As Gen Z comes of age and Gen X and millennial parents continue to travel farther afield with their children, it makes sense that younger generations will become more and more well-traveled, far surpassing their elders.
How long before kids are 10 times more well-traveled than their grandparents? That time is probably closer than we think.
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