by Jim Byers
Last updated: 6:14 PM ET, Mon October 23, 2017
Younger Canadian travellers focus on crossing off destinations on their bucket list and embrace the You Only Live Once attitude. But baby boomers in Canada enjoy worry-free, all-inclusive resorts and cruise trips. They also travel for longer periods of time.
So says a study by Expedia Media Solutions, the advertising arm of the Expedia group.
The study looked at Canadian Gen Z and Millennials and compared their travel attitudes and spending habits with older members of the boomer generation.
Generation Z is considered to be those from 18-23. Millennials are from ages 24 to 35, while Gen X'ers are from 36-55. Boomers are defined as those 55 and up.
Expedia Media Solutions found that Millennials take the most trips per year; 3.1. Next were Gen X'ers at 2.8, Boomers at 2.7 and Gen Z members at 2.6.
Boomers, who have a solid mix of retirees in the mix, said their last vacation lasted an average of 10.5 days. Millennials said their last trip averaged 8.5 days. The figure was 8.2 days for Gen Z members and 7.5 days for Gen X'ers.
Asked if they like to travel in Canada or abroad, 65 per cent of millennials said they prefer to travel outside the country. For Boomers it was 62 per cent, while for Gen X'ers the figure was 59 per cent. 55 per cent of Gen Z members surveyed said they prefer to travel outside of Canada.
Canadians in all age groups had similar responses when asked if they travel to visit family, with responses in the 49 per cent to 52 per cent range. Asked if they travel to relax, 49 per cent of Boomers said yes. But only 44 per cent of Gen X'ers said that's their motivation for travel. For Gen Z it was 47 per cent and for Millennials it was 48 per cent.
Asked if their budget is a primary factor in travel, 82 per cent of Gen Z members said yes, compared to 74 per cent for Millennials, 69 per cent for Gen X'ers and 67 per cent for Boomers.
Other notable findings include:
19 per cent of Boomers said they prefer a resort stay on holidays. Other generations were down around the 12-14 per cent mark.
One oddity to me is that 35 per cent of Gen X'ers said they prefer to drive for their vacations. For Millennials it was just 22 per cent, while for Gen Z members it was 29 per cent. For Boomers the figure was 27 per cent.
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