The Travel Younger Advisory Board - a Marriott panel of nine young travel professionals - identified key trends impacting the younger market. Among them, they are seeing shorter and more frequent trips. Weekend trips are gaining in popularity among young generations. Nicole Janoff, senior manager of leisure travel at Magma Global says these travelers want to travel more frequently but for shorter periods of time. “[…] we are seeing a ton of requests for a few weekend trips per year instead of one large trip per year," says Janoff.

The desire to explore the world is coupled with a responsibility to minimize our ecological footprint. From eco-friendly accommodations to carbon offset programs, travelers are actively seeking ways to make their journeys more sustainable. G Adventures, a global tour operator, is appealing to the desire to minimize travel impact by implementing measures such as their “Trees for Days” program. The initiative, in partnership with non-profit Planeterra, grows trees in the traveler’s. As soon as the trip is booked through G Adventures, the company starts gathering the resources to plant a tree for every day the traveler is on the trip.

As Cassandra has reported before, social media plays a huge role in shaping travel aspirations (and inspiration). Trending destinations and viral travel challenges can quickly capture the attention of Gen Zs, influencing their choice of getaway spots. In fact, according to a CARAVAN survey, 67% of Gen Zs say they have used social media to plan a trip. One young traveler, Amarachi Orie, shared her experience of using TikTok to create an itinerary for her vacation in Tenerife, Spain. Unlike traditional travel advisory sites, TikTok provides short videos of users’ travel experiences and recommendations. Amarachi explored scenic walks, took a tourist train tour, and visited Siam Park based on TikTok suggestions. She also discovered the picturesque Masca village. Overall, TikTok proved to be a dynamic and unconventional tool for vacation planning.