According to the results of a new consumer study by group tour operator Topdeck Travel, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused the youngest generation of U.S. adults to alter their perspective on and approach to travel.
So, while Gen Z-ers are as keen as the rest of us to get going on their post-COVID vacations, many are determined to ditch the pre-pandemic era's social media travel clichés-staged social media snaps, trite captions and stale hashtags-once they get the opportunity to travel again.
Having been cooped up at home for more than a year with the internet and social media as their only windows to the outside world, 37 percent of 18- to 25-year-old Americans surveyed said that social media posts with cliché captions such as 'catch flights, not feelings' and 'my Monday is better than yours' were their biggest pet peeves and would not appear in their own feeds when they themselves next travel.
The next most-hated travel social media posts among Gen Z-ers were the ubiquitously staged 'copy and paste' tourist poses (like 'leaning' on the Leaning Tower of Pisa), according to 34 percent of participants.
Next, 31 percent of survey respondents felt that photos posted of food or cocktails were particularly irksome; while 30 percent said that overdone photos of iconic landmarks and attractions were annoying to view repeatedly on social media streams.
Twenty-nine percent of the survey group said snaps of hotel rooms were especially tiresome, while pics taken from the plane window and selfies showing off tan lines each took 28 percent of the vote.
Specializing in youth travel, Topdeck Travel commissioned the research to gain an understanding of how Gen Z's priorities and attitudes regarding travel have been affected by the pandemic experience. Its findings revealed that young people share a robust optimism about future travel.
Ninety-six percent of survey respondents reported that they already have plans for upcoming travel, and 28 percent said they'd be heading to a nearby destination just to get away. When it came to future plans, 29 percent said their purpose in traveling would be to relax and recuperate, while 27 percent were itching to experience a dream destination; 27 percent prioritized outdoor exploration, and another 27 percent wanted time off to take an extended trip.
Getting out to explore the world and gain rich new experiences emerged as Gen Z participants' top priorities, and it seems the pandemic gave them time to reflect on past trips and the ways in which they felt they'd perhaps not made the most of them.
One in three said they felt they hadn't explored enough of the destination's nightlife on their past trips, and another 33 percent said that they hadn't spent enough time meeting and interacting with the locals. One-third also said they wish they had made friends with their fellow travelers on past trips.
"It has been a challenging year for young adults, but our findings show that they are resilient and are ready to bounce back with new travel experiences that focus on meeting new friends and exploring new destinations like a local," said Charles Knowlton, Global General Manager at Topdeck Travel. "Gen Z is fed up with the overly-curated Insta-worthy experiences that we've become overexposed to today. Instead, they seek authentic travel experiences that liberate them from the rules of normal life, once travel restrictions are lifted."
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