In our fast-paced society, it sometimes feels like everything in our lives is scheduled. From work meetings to summer camps to dinner reservations, preparation is key. However, there’s one area where people are increasingly choosing to not prepare: travel.
According to American Express Travel’s 2024 Global Travel Trends Report, travelers are seeking more flexibility and spontaneity in their vacations. In fact, 44% of survey respondents said they’d rather take a spontaneous trip than one where every activity is scheduled.
Who’s taking these unplanned trips?
Younger travelers are taking the lead when it comes to last-minute adventures. According to the Global Trend Report, 77% of surveyed Millennial and Gen-Z travelers have taken an unplanned trip in the past, followed by Gen-X at 65% and Boomers at 52%. That number isn’t surprising, given what we know about travel trends across generations. Overall, younger generations take more trips, especially in the post-pandemic world: McKinsey found that the average Millennial or Gen-Z traveler took five trips in 2023, while Gen X and Boomers took fewer than four.
What’s the appeal of spontaneous travel?
A few key factors may be driving the increase in impromptu travel interest. The first is economic. While traveler anxiety about an upcoming recession has lessened since 2023, many travelers still feel the need to stay on budget. A long weekend trip may fit a traveler’s budget when a week-long stay at a resort doesn’t. A shorter, unplanned trip is also a great way to spend a free weekend without having to plan for PTO or school breaks. This may partly explain the popularity of last-minute travel with Gen-Z and Millennial travelers. Since younger generations are more likely to be working independent or gig work with less predictable time off, the flexibility of unplanned trips works to their advantage.
There’s also the psychological benefits of these impromptu vacations. According to the 2024 Destination Decisions Study, Powered by The State of the American Traveler, 42.1% of surveyed travelers cited relaxation as a key motivator for their last overnight travel and 30.9% cited the desire to escape the stress of daily life. Studies have shown that travel alleviates stress and improves overall mental well-being, but there’s no clear correlation between the length of the vacation and the positive benefits. In fact, a 2021 study of Australian university faculty suggested that short breaks from work (3-4 days) can be as or more restorative than longer vacations. In other words, a short, unplanned vacation can give you many of the benefits that longer travel offers without breaking your budget or disrupting your existing schedule.
The lack of planning itself may be a draw for some travelers. A 2018 study in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology found that planning requires significant mental output and that people can develop decision fatigue, leading them to avoid planning major endeavors. As global travelers collectively process the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, unplanned travel allows them to have the new experiences they crave without the strain of planning a huge trip.
Forward-thinking entrepreneurs have been quick to capitalize on travelers’ hunger for the unexpected, creating a niche of travel firms that specialize in “surprise experiences.” In this extreme version of spontaneous trips, travelers who book with companies like Journee and Pack Up + Go have no idea where they’re going until they arrive at the airport.
How can destinations appeal to these travelers?
Here are a few ways destinations can make themselves appealing to the spontaneous traveler:
- Build awareness of year-round attractions: Last-minute trips don’t necessarily fit in traditional tourism seasons, as spontaneous travelers fit these adventures around their work or school schedule. This can benefit destinations by providing an influx of visits during low months. Publicizing different activities for different seasons can keep a destination top-of-mind for a traveler with an unexpected free weekend and an itch to see something new.
- Build partnerships with local organizations to meet travelers’ needs: Surveyed travelers preferred to have some preparation, even on the most impromptu trips. They enjoyed spontaneity the most in their dining and shopping experiences and the least in their choice of accommodation. Building relationships with partners in retail, food and hospitality can ensure your destination can deliver what these travelers are searching for.
- Boost your social media presence: The younger segments who are leading this trend are also the most social media-focused, according to this year’s Technology Trends Report, Powered by the State of the American Traveler. They’re also much more likely to take advice and inspiration from social media influencers. While only one in five travelers reported using social media influencer content to plan travel last year, that number steeply increases among younger populations (34.4% for Gen Z and 30.4% for Millennials). Building relationships with travel influencers can increase your destination’s visibility among these important groups.
- Make sure your DMO site is mobile-friendly: Spontaneous travelers are much more likely to use phones and other mobile devices than a computer, simply because they’re constantly on the move! Continually optimizing your DMO website for mobile users ensures that they can find the information they’re looking for, whether they’re visiting your site for the first time on the plane or returning for a quick look when they disembark.
While carefully-planned trips aren’t going anywhere, the growth of spontaneous travel speaks to an evolving travel market, one that values unexpected experiences and seeks flexibility. Learning how to appeal to the last-minute visitor can help DMOs boost their foot traffic all year long.
