Recently, I came across this quote: “The children now love luxury; they have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love chatter in place of exercise. Children are now tyrants, not the servants of their households. They no longer rise when elders enter the room. They contradict their parents and tyrannize their teachers.”
Are we talking about millennials? Gen Z?
This quote is attributed to Socrates from about 2,500 years ago. Apparently, as much as we like to think we’re living in unique times, some attitudes never change.
In fact, when it comes to family travel, we are now seeing millennials following in the footsteps of their parents and planning vacations for their own kids. According to a recent survey by AAA Travel, 44 percent of millennials are planning to take a family trip this year, more than generation X (39 percent) or baby boomers (32 percent).
Not surprisingly, millennials, who often regard travel as a birthright, are having a major effect on family travel overall, with families taking more trips per year than ever before — 27 percent of traveling families are planning to take three or more vacations in the next 12 months. That’s 12 percent higher than in 2016.
Millennials have also put their stamp on family travel by handing down their love for new experiences: 73 percent of families that are planning a vacation this year are seeking a destination they have not previously visited.
All of this is good news for travel advisors. Not only is family travel on the rise, but we know from previous surveys that millennials are also increasingly seeking out the advice of agents when planning their trips.
Resist the urge to be a curmudgeon like Socrates, and reach out to “the kids these days.” You’ll probably find you share more in common with them than you think — including a love of travel.
