Rise in accessibility to travel shown in eDreams’ generational study

Brits are travelling internationally at a younger age than ever before, according to research by eDreams. The online travel agent says it has found that kids of today are six times more well-travelled than their grandparents, with 70% having travelled … Continue reading →

Brits are travelling internationally at a younger age than ever before, according to research by eDreams.

The online travel agent says it has found that kids of today are six times more well-travelled than their grandparents, with 70% having travelled internationally by the age of five compared to 12% of ‘baby boomers’ by the same age.

The research found that by the age of five, 59% of millennials had been on at least one international holiday compared to just 12% of ‘Baby Boomers’. The research found that a quarter of 18- to 29-year-olds went on their first international holiday by the time they were just two years old, while 43% of Baby Boomers had not travelled internationally until the age of 18.

By the age of twelve, 83% of Millennials had visited an international destination compared to just 30% of Baby Boomers. What’s more, by the time the average Millennial turned 18 they had been on 20 holidays, both within their own country and abroad – twice as many as Baby Boomers who had only been on 11.

The OTA’s research also found that 4% of ‘Baby Boomers’ frequently flew long-haul as a child compared to 17% of Millennials.

Overall, 43% of Brits said they travel more today than they did 10 years ago.

According to nearly half (45%) of British respondents, the reason for this is that they believe they have more disposable income to spend on travel, with the average Brit spending 14% of their pay packet on holidays.

And the OTA says its research found that 45% of Brits claim the reason they travel more today is due to increased accessibility and claims there has been a 27% increase in bookings made via OTAs (on both on desktop and mobile) since 2007.

Robert McNamara, head of UK and group external affairs at eDreams, said: “People are travelling internationally more and they’re starting to do so at a younger age as travel has become more and more accessible.

“The rise in online booking and online travel agents is evidently a key factor in this increased accessibility. Travellers now have the ability to browse flight times, hotel options and destinations and book at the touch of a button, at home or even on the go, meaning more people are booking holidays than ever before.”

The findings are part of a global study called Travel Through The Generations which polled 13,000 people from eight countries, 2,000 of which were British. The aim of the study was to determine how travel habits have shifted across generations and how this differs across each market.