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Travel habits of each generation, especially millennials, are studied and then studied again. Previous research on these young travelers has shown that millennials spent $4,832 over a year on vacations and that 45 percent of millennials plan on hitting the road within the year.

Has anything changed this year?

“I have come to the conclusion that they want to travel more, but they plan differently,” said Margie Lenau, travel consultant and owner of Wonderland Family Vacations. “While millennials are very much like other travelers, they do not like to give up control and are more interested in the working of the booking than the average traveler.”

For example, Lenau said that millennials want to know exactly what the sites are surrounding the hotel where they will be staying. “And they are more tech savvy, which can get in the way of getting the best value,” she said. “They tend to think that absolutely everything available is on the internet, but that is not true. When they see a price online, they want that price, but assume the amenities will come with that price.”

She said that she educates them about how online marketing works. “The lowest prices frequently do not include all of the amenities they expect to receive,” she said. “Millennials will usually make assumptions that may not be true about the options they are looking at and the price they want to pay for them.”

Megan Velez, of the Destination Weddings Travel Group, said that she has seen a continued rise of LGBTQ destination weddings, especially as the world has become more welcoming of same-sex marriage.

“Millennial couples are traveling more for their nuptials, as they find themselves less limited in their choice of destination,” she said. “Ireland, Spain and South Africa are all at the top of the list of chosen locales for LGBTQ couples and provide them with the opportunity to customize both their travel and wedding plans to fit their preferences – be it an adventure-packed vacation or a tranquil, relaxing getaway.”

She expects millennials to want a fully personalized experience when they travel. “Their access and reliance on technology means that travel agents have to evolve their methods of connecting with clients and customer satisfaction,” she said. “This could be through personalized marketing messages, special offers tailored to a target audience, or diversifying product and service offerings to meet the ever-changing needs of millennial travelers.”

Reaching out to millennial customers is also different for travel agents. “It’s also prudent for agents to ask for a client’s preferred communication method, as many millennials often feel more of a personal connection through text messages rather than over email or the phone,” she said.

Jacob Marek loves working with millennials. “Perhaps because I am one, and perhaps because I understand their travel styles and needs,” said Marek, founder & chief explorer of IntroverTravels.

From his own experience, Marek said that millennials tend to value experience over money. “In that sense, I don't spend my time trying to find budget hotels for them, but rather showcasing the inherent value of spending a bit more for a better experience,” he said. “In that same vein, counter-intuitively, I may also recommend places that are below the accommodation category they initially requested, again in exchange for a better experience.”

He believes that the key to understanding Millennials, is to understand where they're coming from. “Any tech-savvy person under 40 can fairly easily purchase a package to Cancun and escape the winter doldrums - that is not where Millennials are using travel agents,” he said. “ But if you can show them the flip side of a destination - a hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Mexico City that serves life-changingchicharrones or a walking tour of a city's street art or even hiring a private photographer - those are things that will get Millennials excited to work with you. I try to avoid cliché city tours or the typical all-inclusive resorts, because it's just not what Millennials would go after.”

No matter what their age, learning how your customers travel is important to your success as a travel agent. 

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