Report: 41% of millennials choose to travel as backpackers to destinations in Europe and Asia

06-06-24

With the heat comes the time of year when Spaniards enjoy traveling the most: summer. According to a survey by WeRoad, a company specializing in the travel sector for millennials, the vast majority of these young Spaniards, about 83%, will take a trip this summer, while a minority will prefer to venture out on dates other than the summer season.

Generally, it is during this time of the year when this generation has more vacation days and, therefore, can plan longer trips and enjoy their destination at their leisure. In fact, according to WeRoad, 60% of young Spaniards will travel for more than 10 days this summer.

“More and more young people prefer to flee from traditional organized trips where you stay in hotel chains to replace it with total immersion. This means investing more time in the chosen destination to get to know the culture and gastronomy of the country first hand and surrounded by local people,” says Laura Perez, Country Manager of WeRoad.

In addition to these data, there are other factors such as the destinations they plan to visit and the type of trip they are going to make. According to WeRoad's analysis, most domestic millennials will choose to travel as backpackers (41%), preferring destinations in Europe (43%) and Asia (32%). And to a lesser extent, they will choose to visit America (15%) and Africa (10%).

In terms of budget, it is worth noting that Spanish millennials spend slightly more money on summer trips than the average in our country. While 70% of Spaniards foresee an average expenditure of around 1000€, 46% of national millennials have a budget of between 1000€ and 1500€; 25% of them will spend between 1500€ and 2000€; and 29% will invest more than 2000€ in their summer vacations.

“These higher budgets may be due to the increased interest in organized trips, since, although they have a higher cost, they save time in planning and are more convenient,” says WeRoad's Country Manager. She adds, “However, millennials are looking for this prior organization to be mixed with the improvisation of doing certain activities or visiting places outside the itinerary, a need that adds to the growing trend of meeting new people during their adventures”.

Although young Spaniards tend to book their vacations at the last minute, it is true that the results of the analysis carried out by WeRoad show a slight change in the trend for this summer. Thus, 43% already have everything prepared, compared to 15% who will do it last minute and 25% who have not yet booked, but will do it soon.

Thus, among all these forward-looking travelers, there are four countries that have become the star destination this summer. And the fact is that 30% of the bookings registered by WeRoad for this season have been made in Sri Lanka, Albania, Indonesia and Thailand.

All these destinations have in common the mix of nature, monuments and beach, which are joined by a very rich culture and gastronomy. There, millennials are looking to immerse themselves in the daily life of a local, meet new people and experience unique adventures that will remain etched in their memories.

“Sri Lanka has become one of the most acclaimed destinations among millennials, not just for summer but in any season. In fact, this 2024 we have seen an increase in bookings to this country over last season's demand. As for Albania, Indonesia and Thailand, we can affirm that they continue to be a safe bet for millennials and continue to raise passions by maintaining a constant number of bookings throughout the year,” says Laura Perez, Country Manager of WeRoad.