As we draw to the end of 2018, as comes the results of the AARP Travel Survey. This is a survey that takes place every year and aims to highlight the trends of the travel industry over the last 365 days to help you, businesses, and any entity related to the travel niche discover what’s been happening and where the industry is going.
As the results in, today we’re going to explore the top trends and takeaways of this year’s survey, helping you to identify anything you need to know in order to make the best decisions in your life; or simply to keep you up to date with everything that’s going on in the world!
#1 – People Working While Away
As the Millennial generation joins the global workforce, the number of people expecting to work while they’re on paid leave has skyrocketed to a massive 79%. This is in comparison to the tiny 56% of Boomers who believed the same thing.
This means more people are taking their work with them abroad, which could have good and bad consequences for businesses. While more work is getting done and more people are staying connected with their workplaces; this dramatically increases the chances or burnout and overwork.
#2 – Cost of Travel
You might be surprised by how much people are willing to spend to get away this year and the next. On average, Boomers plan to take four or five trips away on vacation over the next year, totalling an expected average of $6,400.
In comparison, Millennials plan on spending a whopping $6,800 on travel expenses, whereas Gen Xers are holding back with $5,400. Still, this shows a lot of money is still willing to be spent in the travel industry.
#3 – A Home Away from Home
Regarding accommodation, around 62% of Boomers have or plan on staying in hotels and motels during their trips away. Private homes are also becoming extremely popular, perhaps thanks to the rise of services such as Airbnb, although this only makes up around 10% of all bookings.
Other forms of accommodation, such as hostels and private rentals are becoming extremely popular with millennial generations, who are looking more in the freedom of the space and the affordability of their stay.
#4 – People Staying at Home
Half of the people surveyed in this year’s study (49%) plan on travelling internally within their own country this coming year. In the US, the top destinations are California and Florida, whereas the other 47% plan to travel domestically or internationally, with Europe and the Caribbean topping the list.
#5 – Getting Around
With the destinations above in mind, Boomers plan to travel within their own country by plane (66%) and by car (60%), meaning the road trip industry could be set to boom once again. Most Millennials plan on taking planes abroad and are much more likely to be embarking on a ‘bucket list’ kind of vacation.
Summary
As you can see, there are lots of things to think about when it comes to the travel industry in 2019. With such a diverse range of options available to travellers, more and more people are seeking new experiences and cheaper, more diverse ways of doing them.
