REPOST: Travel Habits of Millennials: Only 10 Percent Used a Travel Agent Last Year

Skift.com documents the travel habits of overworked Americans. Here's what they've discovered:

Millennials doing the selfie thing. | Image Source: skift.com

Last year we tracked the travel habits of Americans with a series of surveys and ended it at the start of this year with a bleak picture of an overworked and under-vacationed country.

This year we are starting a new series focused on a demographic that a lot of brands, including travel brands, are trying to understand: Millennials. Yes, that much-discussed demographic that is apparently different than anyone group that preceded them. The digital natives. The mobile-first generation.

Over this year, we will do a series of consumer surveys at regular intervals probing various travel habits of American millennials, and mix it with habits of their European counterparts as well. The millennials are not one-size-fit-all and brands across the spectrum are trying to figure out various nuances in their consumer behavior. Our series will attempt to look at both the macro and micro picture of their travel habits.

First in the Travel Habits Of Millennials 2015 series is an age old question travel industry has asked many times before: do traditional travel agents still matter? So our question, posed to about 750 American millennials: “Have you used a travel agent to book a leisure trip in the last 12 months?”

The topline answer from the Skift survey: Only about 10 percent of millennials said yes, they had used a traditional travel agent in the last year, while another 6 percent said they did prior to that last year window. A full 84 percent of American millennials haven’t used a travel agent at all.

Image Source: skift.com

 This is in stark contrast to a survey travel marketing firm MMGY did almost exactly a year ago, which said that 28 percent of millennials they surveyed used a travel agent in the last 12 months, nearly three times more than our survey results show. The study went on to extrapolate that more millennials will adopt using traditional travel agents in the years ahead.

Digging a bit deeper in the demographics of our survey:

• Along the male-female divide, slightly more American male millennials have used travel agents in the last 12 months than females: 11.1 percent vs. 8.8 percent.
• The one good and intriguing piece of data, but needs further digging: the younger millennials, the 18-24 year olds, have used travel agents more in the last 12 months than the older 25-34 year old millennials: 13.3 percent vs. 7.7 percent.
• Millennials in the U.S. Northeast have used a travel agent in the last 12 months more than any other region in U.S. (16 percent) while the U.S. South has used it the least (7.3 percent).
• Urban American millennials have used travel agents slightly more in the last 12 months than rural or suburban populations.
• Turns out the richer millennials ($150K+ income a year) are using traditional travel agents more than any other income bracket: 33 percent of them.

Louis Habash is a travel writer who understands the appeal of vacation spots to visitors. Like this Facebook page to know more about him.

REPOST: 6 Ways to Travel Healthier

It is hard to stick on your diet or general healthy eating plan while you're traveling. This article listed tips for staying healthy while enjoying your travels.

Image Source: care2.com

It’s that time of year — the end of winter, the awkward transitional period when everything is muddy and lukewarm. It can make anyone seek warmer climes. If you are trying to incorporate some more traveling into your life, there’s no need to let your healthy eating fall by the wayside. Here are 6 tips for staying healthy while still enjoying your travels.

Ditch the sugary bars. Energy bars are great in concept, but unless you’re mountain biking the PCT, you probably don’t need all that sugar. Try to find a bar that has 10 grams of sugar or less to keep your blood sugar balanced and your energy up — check out the Larabar Roasted Nut Roll.

Don’t overindulge at breakfast. Generally, when you’re traveling, you don’t want to be weighed down by a belly full of eggs, waffles, and bacon — not that that wouldn’t be delicious. Instead, opt for a cheap single-serving Greek yogurt with granola, or oatmeal with berries, or even a latte if you’re not a breakfast person. It’ll be cheaper than a grand meal, and will keep you seeing sights all day without feeling hungry… or bloated and lethargic.

Avoid fast food. Prepare a few snacks — nuts, granola, jerky — so that you don’t feel like fast food is your only option. Fast food will make you feel sluggish and unhealthy. Traveling should be a positive experience! There are always better options. It just takes a little planning.

Indulge a little. Small indulgences are a healthy addition to your travels. Have a little dessert or maybe indulge in a warm, buttery croissant one morning while watching the sun rise. Having a few treats, as long as you’re not consistently overeating or relying on sugar and caffeine to get you through the day, is wonderful and fun no matter where you are.

Make one meal a day veggie-centric. It can be easy to forget about veggies when you’re traveling — they’re not always convenient and they’re not always the sexiest of options. But, if you make one meal all about vegetables — probably lunch — you’ll feel cleaner and more energized for it.

Don’t drink at every meal. That wine with dinner is great, but when you start tossing in beers with lunch and mimosas with breakfast, your trip is going to start looking much hazier. Spend your time enjoying new experiences, not the extensive list of cocktails.

Go experience life: see new places, meet new people, have fun. That’s what life is all about! There’s no need to let your healthy eating regimen prevent you from going out and enjoying your life. How do you maintain a healthy lifestyle when traveling?


For more helpful tips and tricks for travelers, follow Louis Habash on Facebook.