Travel Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
A take on our webinar discussion around 'Inspiring Young Travelers'.
Remember when "quiet vacationing" entered our dictionary?
Gen Z and Millennials have systematically dismantled decades-old travel paradigms. With these generations now accounting for over 60% of flight bookings in 2024, their preferences aren't just influencing the market—they're dictating its very structure.
Just look at Tripadvisor Group's recent record-breaking 2024 revenue, where Viator surpassed the traditional Tripadvisor brand for the first time in Q3 - which I believe was driven by the younger generation’s seismic shift in how they want to experience destinations.
We're seeing a clear preference for more frequent, shorter trips rather than traditional long vacations.
Younger generations are viewing work-life-travel as a love triangle. When "work from anywhere" became the norm, the concept of needing permission for a two-week absence started feeling as outdated as Skype (RIP).
This shift isn't merely about frequency — it reflects a comprehensive reimagining of the travel experience.
Dream Different
Finding your next destination once meant reading long-form blogs, asking your mum and dad, and seeing ads on TV or YouTube. Today's reality is infinitely more complex—and substantially more chaotic.
The statistics speak volumes: ~80% of young travelers initiate their journey on social media, but they're not passively consuming content. These sophisticated consumers cross-reference a plethora of platforms, endlessly scrolling before committing. It's less casual browsing and more digital detective work to be honest.
The challenge lies in what I like to term "discovery chaos"—that frustrating morass of saved posts, shared videos, and that perfect cafe recommendation you absolutely saved somewhere but can now never locate. This explains the current industry scramble to bridge the gap between inspiration and actionable planning: think about it, just because your found a cool cafe in Saigon on TikTok today, doesn’t mean you’re going to book a flight to Saigon immediately, right?
The market demands tools that transform aspirational content into executable “itineraries”. I’m weary of this word - the concept of personalizing and building automated travel itineraries is a MASSIVE tarpit idea, which I don’t believe anyone has truly cracked, and possibly will not be able to - at least in the near future. But let’s save this for another discussion.
Plan Smarter
Here's where contemporary travel planning becomes fascinating: young travelers somehow maintain the seemingly contradictory positions of meticulous researcher and spontaneous decision-maker. It is entirely possible that this apparent paradox can be enabled by financial innovation.
Bobby Liu from Qrospay articulated this shift perfectly: "Imagine you're a digital nomad traveling off-the-fly within a region—you don't want to be thinking about what to bring, especially cash." The traditional anxiety-inducing ritual of currency exchange is becoming obsolete as digital solutions emerge.
"When bookings are not refundable, there seems to be a lower conversion rate," noted Anek Singh from Protect Group. "It's all about providing choice, leverage, and ultimately confidence."
We’re seeing the industry responding with protection products that actually align with modern travel patterns — the emergence of "risk-free spontaneity"— a concept that would have seemed impossible just years ago.
Book Bolder
Here's something that might raise eyebrows among traditional travel executives: price sensitivity is being eclipsed by demands for transparency and flexibility (omg!).
Alex Yardley from Fly Fairly highlighted some key trends transforming booking behaviors: "BNPL is offering affordability and access, enabling more travel by spreading budget and providing accessibility to take longer trips that travelers otherwise wouldn't have considered." BNPL stands for “Buy Now, Pay Later” for those lost.
The data supports this assertion emphatically — approximately 56% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Z in the U.S. have reported using BNPL services, with adoption rates even higher in some markets like Australia, where 59% of young consumers used these payment options in the past six months.
Yardley also added: "Additionally, crypto payments offer significant opportunity — 70% of crypto wealth is held by millennials, and platforms that allows crypto payments enable easy access to their wealth with tangible value."
This explains why young travelers consider destinations that previous generations might have deemed financially inaccessible. The democratization of travel isn't just about budget airlines — it's about innovative financial instruments that make aspirational destinations attainable.
Experience Deeper
Gen Z travelers aren't interested in just checking landmarks off lists (not to say they don’t) — they seek experiences that transform them. This explains why Viator is outperforming traditional Tripadvisor offerings: experiences trump sightseeing every time (from an industry perspective at least).
Unlike previous generations who followed structured itineraries, Gen Z favors hands-on experiences that foster connection with local communities. From culinary workshops (think cooking lessons outdoors in a Balinese jungle) to outdoor expeditions to personalized tech-driven itineraries, experience-driven tourism is fundamentally reshaping industry expectations.
Additionally, with Southeast Asia planning to interconnect five countries' real-time payment networks by 2026, we're approaching a future where paying for street food in Bangkok is as frictionless as ordering coffee at your local neighborhood café. This evolution is particularly significant considering only 42% of Gen Z uses credit cards—a statistic that should terrify traditional financial institutions.
Flexibility, control, and security are key.
"The younger generation simply expects businesses to provide these services," added Singh. The unstated implication? Providers who fail to meet these expectations will be summarily left behind.
Share Authentically
The travel cycle completes — or rather, continues — through content sharing (#forthegram right?). Every recommendation, every review, and every geotag contributes to collective knowledge. This isn't merely about social validation—it's creating a sophisticated feedback mechanism that shapes future discovery.
Rewards are a huge piece in driving better experiences.
Imagine sharing your trip, your experience, or buying certain protection and getting rewarded — there's a huge aspect to it, especially compared with outdated loyalty programs with expiry dates and one-dimensional offerings. I mean, that’s what we plan to build in with LFG - it’s just a no-brainer.
Traditional loyalty programs with their arcane rules, isolated offerings, and inevitable point expirations seem almost comically inadequate when compared to the instant gratification and tangible benefits young travelers (well, general consumers too) expect in today’s day and age.
Enter the Future
We're witnessing the emergence of a comprehensive "trust & flexible ecosystem" — a convergence of flexible payments, smart protection products, and seamless transactions that makes travel more accessible and enjoyable than ever before.
Consider the capabilities now at travelers' disposal:
Splitting payments for international flights without accumulating crippling interest
Converting currency at point-of-sale with actual exchange rates
Securing instant protection for impulsive itinerary changes
Accessing authentic local experiences while avoiding predatory tourist traps
The paradox whereby "younger travelers do a lot of research but tend to make decisions very last minute" isn't simply an interesting observation—it's a mandate for business model recalibration. Gen Z and Millennials aren't passive consumers; they're active architects reshaping the industry according to their values and expectations.
It's harder (pushing boundaries), better (hyper-personalized), faster (near-instantaneous), and stronger (supported by robust digital infrastructure).
p.s. Watch our full webinar discussion in the YouTube link below:
Thanks for reading,
D. Han