The Changing Face of Travel Experiences

This post brought to you by Marriott Rewards Credit Card from Chase. The content and opinions expressed below are 100% mine.

One of the things that I am interested in is how travel has changed, and how modern life offers people so many opportunities to travel and to genuinely go so much further and more often than our parents and grandparents did.

This trend is one that was borne out in a recent survey commissioned by Marriott Rewards Credit Card from Chase, who with their expertise in travel believed that a similar change was happening. Adventures, experiences and great nightlife prove to be more important to millennial travelers, those between 18 and 34 years of age than older travelers.

What Do Our Millennial Travelers Want?

The survey looked at millennial travelers, Generation X travelers (those between 35 and 49 years of age) and the Baby Boomers (those between 50 and 67 years of age), who regularly travel and stay in a hotel at least five nights per year for business and/or pleasure.

This found that nearly twice as many people in the millennial group were interested in travel for charitable purposes as other age groups, with 32% interested as opposed to 18% of Generation X travelers and 17% of Baby Boomers. Sitting on a beach or relaxing in a beautiful destination seems to be becoming of less importance for the millennial travelers, who really want more from their vacations and travel plans.

The Growing Importance of Travel Experiences

As a millennial who is passionate about travel, it comes as no surprise to me that younger travelers are more interested in excitement, with 78% interested in thrilling trips, while only 32% of millennial travelers want to take a lazy vacation.

From exciting water sports to safaris and scuba diving trips where they get to encounter wild animals, the memories and thrills of the experience are becoming more important to travelers. Along with the experiences offered by modern travel, nightlife is also playing a growing role, with younger travelers placing a higher importance on the quality of bars and clubs at their destination.

How To Fund New Travel Opportunities

Going on vacation is one of the greatest expenses of each year for many younger people, and the Marriott Rewards Credit Card from Chase is a great tool as it lets people earn accelerated Marriott Rewards Points.

These points can be put towards several different aspects of your next trip, and more information about the program can be found here. Using rewards credit cards is one of the best travel hacks around, and not only do you get points for hotel stays, but you can earn points for all the other spending on the card as well.

What Influences Our Perception of Travel ‘Hot Spots’?

This national survey of travelers between 18 and 67 years of age looked at a broad range of different factors, but another interesting aspect is that it also asked about what encouraged us to consider a destination as desirable.

While the Baby Boomers were likely to look at travel publications to find their next vacation hot spot, celebrity and pop culture influences were more important to millennials when choosing their next destination.

While I will always be passionate about travel, this has definitely provided some food for thought about what other people find important about travel!