Millennials Are Going Retro to Make Their Travel Plans

It’s no secret that millennials love throwbacks. However, there’s one travel trend happening among millennials that nobody saw coming. It turns out that today’s younger travelers are increasingly using travel agents when booking trips.

This will definitely come as a surprise to people who had assumed that millennials prefer to use impersonal apps and digital tools to book their holidays. The truth is that today’s young travelers actually appreciate a personal touch when it comes to booking flights, hotels, cruises, excursions, tours and more.

A hospitality marketing firm called MMGY Global just released its study regarding travel trends for 2017 and 2018. The study reveals that 33 percent of millennials intend to hire travel agents to help them book trips within the next two years. This supports data gathered by the American Society of Travel Advisors that reveals millennial travelers are more likely than baby boomers or members of Generation X to feel that hiring a travel agent is worth the cost and effort.

In fact, roughly 55 percent of millennials are likely to hire travel agents and entrust their travel plans to experts. Only 42 percent of Generation X members and 28 percent of baby boomers feel the same. Of course, millennials aren’t exactly seeking out the travel agents that older travelers would recognize from past decades. Modern travel agencies are quite different from the uninspired strip-mall offices that so many travelers have visited when planning vacations in the past.

Today’s travel agents are tech-oriented, sleek and ready to please. Many invest heavily in creating digital presences that offer prospective customers glimpses into polished, Instagram-worthy vacation packages. What’s more, today’s travel agents know that millennials value transformative experiences above all else.

Travel agents looking to appeal to the up-and-coming generation of travelers certainly have their work cut out for them. Planning a successful trip is all about customization. Travel agents in 2018 appeal to the desire among millennials to experience holidays that cater to their emotional health, physical health and overall sense of wellness. In fact, millennial travelers are pivoting away from party-oriented vacations and toward wellness tours. These tours can often focus on yoga or detox sessions.

Young travelers are eager to book vacations that take them away from the norm and bring them to places off the beaten path. Packages often include exclusive experiences with spiritual twists. Millennial travelers are also looking for opportunities to link up with other travelers who are interested in the same types of experiences.