But you won't find them in traditional haunts or means of touristing, as millennial tourists are more interested in extended trips that have meaning behind them. They are more likely to eschew an beach hopping trip in favor of working at a local ran coffee farm in a small village in Costa Rica for a month. The World Youth Student and Educational Travel Confederation found that they are spending less time in "major gateway cities," favoring going off the beaten path to smaller locales. They are also spending less time in hotels and choosing hostels, couch surfing and long term backpacking trips instead of one or two week trips. Despite this, they are also spending more when they do travel, as they are spending more time traveling and visiting multiple destinations. The study found an increased number of travelers taking trips lasting longer than two months, with these young explorers averaging 58 days backpacking.
With many Millennial's facing years of economic uncertainty, they are opting not to wait for travel until their Golden Years, hoping that they are secure enough to see the world then. The sour job market and economy has bred a flexible generation of college educated Lyft drivers and part time fill-in-the-blanks, who aren't afraid to shy away from the traditional path in any sense. The struggle to find work presents a perfect "why not?" opportunity for traveling, particularily when weighed with the personal growth and wisdom travel brings (especially if traveling to cost efficient countries, as many of the top 2014 destinations are). And, with record numbers of Americans living abroad, perhaps the journey will not be a diversion, but a new direction for a generation looking for meaning and greater purpose.
The Atlantic, June 2014
