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Busting the myths of millennial travel

Millennials have more in common with their baby boomer parents than you might think, says new surveys by American Express. Both demographics appreciate personal service in their travel experience – and nearly all millennials surveyed had positive experiences with a travel agent, according to “The American Express Future of Travel” and the American Express Spending & Saving Tracker.

 Some other millennial trends include:

  • Using a travel agent: Millennials give travel agents an “A,” with 92.4% of those who have used a travel agent in the past five years reporting it enhanced their travel experience. Additionally, nearly 60% of Millennials agree they would pay more for an agent’s expertise.
  • “Traditional” hotels: Of millennials, 76.3% say they prefer to stay in a traditional hotel, nearly equal to boomers, and both agree (46% equally) that enhanced in-room technology is the most appealing hotel trend.
  • Pre-packaged trips: Nearly 70% of millennials saying they would put in the effort to plan a personalized travel experience vs. purchasing a pre-packaged trip, yet 58.7% of millennials report that they would choose a package if it were less expensive. By more than 25 percentage points when compared to baby boomers, millennials surveyed shared they would be willing to let brands use data from their past travel purchases to deliver a more personalized experience.
  • Social media use: The pressure to post on social media for millennials is real. More than half (54.9%) feel that it is their responsibility to post reviews for the benefit of other travelers and more than a quarter (25.8%) feel they spend too much time on social media while traveling.

The American Express Future of Travel study was completed online by 1,007 U.S. consumers who have traveled for leisure at least twice in the past five years, completed in May and June. The Spending & Saving Tracker research was completed online among a random sample of 2,000 adults, including the general U.S. population, as well as an affluent demographic defined by a minimum annual household income of $100,000, with interviewing done in April and May.

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