There’s no denying it: millennials are a powerful force. The influencer generation may be stereotyped for their love of Instagram and avocado on toast, but they’re changing the way we do many things, one of which is the travel industry.

This generation loves to travel and try new experiences, and it really impacts how they live their day-to-day lives. In fact, 39% of millennials and Generation Z workers wouldn’t take a job that didn’t offer them at least some form of travel.

With this in mind, I’ve collated the top four ways in which millennials are changing the way we travel.

Social media as a travel tool

Social media is one of the most powerful tools in modern day culture and, of course, something that’s incredibly popular with millennials.

Social media has turned into something of a travel tool; not only can we open up Instagram on our phones and immediately be subjected to a cascade of travel-based images, we can also use hashtags to search for different locations and accommodation. Instead of using review sites, we can now use these platforms as our own personal travel brochure, finding real-life reviews and high-quality images of places we wish to travel to.

Accommodation

In recent years, sites such as Airbnb have enjoyed a real boom in business, and most of that is down to – you guessed it, millennials.

The trend for booking local, more authentic accommodation means the travel industry is constantly changing, and the hotel industry needs to keep up.

Gone are the days of high-rise hotels in over-crowded tourist areas appealing to this age group; now it’s all about a rustic cottage in the Italian countryside, or a cute apartment complete with a rooftop hot tub in Greece.

Culture over partying

Millennials love to try new things. In fact, studies show they’re shunning hard-core partying in favour of spending money on experiences instead, many of which are cultural.

Millennials are key in driving cultural uplift in the travel industry – they want to see the world and explore what it has to offer. Overly-touristy areas probably aren’t on many of their lists – or if they are, they want to seek out the lesser-known places too, which are more off the beaten track.

Cheap travel

Millennials love a deal, especially when it comes to travel. In addition to the aforementioned Airbnb, which offers very affordable and authentic accommodation, sourcing cheap flights is a firm favourite amongst this generation.

Cheap airfares are something all airlines compete to provide, and something which has changed the industry greatly in recent years. As well as affordable accommodation and travel, millennials love a bargain once they arrive. Many worldwide destinations are taking this onboard and adapting in order to attract a wider, younger clientele.

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