A recent study
conducted by trip-planning website TripIt reveals that pop culture-inspired
travel is set to double in the coming year, with younger generations leading
the trend. When we talk of pop culture trips, it might encompass anything from
traveling to attend a concert in another city or country to taking a “set-jetting”
trip to see the overseas filming locations of a favorite movie or TV
series.
In a survey of a representative
group of 1,000 Americans, TripIt found that twice as many participants are
planning on taking pop culture trips in 2024 than did in 2023 (40 percent vs.
22 percent), underscoring a growing trend among U.S. travelers.
Younger
generations are at the forefront of this shift, with 41 percent of Gen Z’ers and
32 percent of Millennials having taken a pop culture-related trip over the past
year, while only 17 percent of Gen X’ers and seven percent of Boomers said the
same. And, those figures are continuing to rise, with 59 percent of Gen Z’ers
and 58 percent of Millennials planning a pop culture trip within the coming
year, while Gen X’ers trail at 35 percent and Boomers at 19 percent.
The research also uncovered
a correlation between income levels and the likelihood that people will embark
on pop-culture escapades. Respondents who earn less than $50k per year were
found to be more than twice as likely to plan a pop culture trip, while
higher-income individuals ($100k+) are only 1.5 times more inclined to do so.
Hobbit House in Hobbiton, Shire, Matamata, New Zealand. (Photo via djr-photography / iStock / Getty Images Plus)
This inclination
towards pop culture travel isn't just a solitary pursuit; it's a social
experience. Approximately 86 percent of respondents expressed a desire to share
their pop culture travel experiences with friends or family, highlighting the
communal aspect of these journeys. The survey further revealed that having a
companion—whether a friend or family member (41 percent), or romantic partner
(16 percent) significantly impacts the decision to embark on a pop
culture-inspired getaway, with nearly half (48 percent) of participants
emphasizing the importance of shared experiences that money can't buy.
Interestingly, music
emerges as a prime motivator for pop culture travel. Concerts and music
festivals top the list of pop culture activities, attracting 66 percent of
those who have taken pop culture trips in the past year. And, over half of
survey respondents (56 percent) plan on traveling to attend a music event in
the near future.
Behind concert and
music festival events, pop culture trips are largely being taken to experience sporting
events (43 percent); locations from a movie, TV show, or book (28 percent); and
viral social media locations (16 percent).
Taylor Swift performing a show as part of her Eras Tour. (Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons/Paolo Villanueva)
Taylor
Swift's Eras Tour is proving to be a key driver for travel plans in 2024,
garnering interest from 39 percent of respondents who said they would travel to
see one of her shows this year. Festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza also
hold significant appeal, particularly among Gen Z’ers (56 percent) and
Millennials (60 percent), although Gen X’ers (35 percent) and Boomers (21
percent) are also tempted to a lesser degree.
Notably, nearly
all travelers (94 percent) who took pop culture trips last year said that the
memories they made during their travels lived up to the hype. This may not be
as wholesome a sentiment as it initially sounds, though, since their reasons
for saying so are less personal than prompted by perceived social standing.
Asked about the
reasons that these trips lived up to their expectations, nearly half of Gen
Z’ers and Millennials (45 percent) said it was because their friends were
envious, compared to 26 percent of Gen X’ers and Boomers who said the same.
Even more (57 percent) of Gen Z’ers and Millennials cited getting great content
for their social media streams as the primary reason why their trips didn’t
disappoint, while 26 percent of Gen X’ers and Boomers said the same. And, 71
percent of those younger generations thought that acquiring awesome merchandise
during their trip was the clincher, while 55 percent of the older generations
felt the same.
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