Where Are Young People Looking To Travel In 2022?

Where Are Young People Looking To Travel In 2022
Where Are Young People Looking To Travel In 2022. Image source: Unsplash

Contiki, the #1 youth travel brand, shares the key trends and insights that are shaping 2022 travel for 18–35-year-olds and how young people’s travel objectives have changed two years into the pandemic. 

As the pioneering force in youth travel since 1962, Contiki has been bringing 18–35-year-old travellers together and sending them away to discover the world. In 2020, Contiki became a travel company – that couldn’t travel. What they discovered in the last 18 months was the power of community: avid travellers keeping the connection alive with their desire for shared experiences, storytelling and wanderlusting over when they can travel again.

Now that international travel is slowly getting back on track, with more and more countries opening their borders to vaccinated travellers, how does 2022 look like for gen Z and millennials looking to fulfil their wanderlust dreams?

With  almost 5 million 18–35-year-olds in South Africa having been vaccinated, things are definitely looking brighter for young  South Africans looking to resume international travel, embark on new adventures and finally explore some of their bucket list destinations.

For Contiki travellers, Europe is once again top of mind. Most of the bookings for 2022 are for Greek Island Hopping, Turkish sailing, European Discovery and European Magic, all multiple destination trips, 9-11 days long, with plenty of included experiences and free time along the way. South Africa is also big on the list which is no surprise as our country is absolutely amazing to explore, as well as Egypt, Thailand and Ireland. “Contiki’s audience has always been big on adventure and memorable experiences and this trip selection reinforces just how important it is for young people to make up for lost time and see as much of the world as possible. Greece has continued to be a firm favourite year after year, and it’s wonderful to see Turkey up there especially seeing as they have just relaxed their entry requirements for South Africans,” says Kelly Jackson, Managing Director of The Travel Corporation.

Departure-wise, young travellers are planning for travel in May and June 2022 (the start of European Summer) and looking at a minimum of 10 days leave.

In terms of demographics, the average age is 26, consistent with pre-pandemic times. Solo travellers continue to be an important segment for Contiki, with 45% of the bookings made for 2022 being single bookings from South Africa. “This highlights why group travel companies like Contiki are so successful with people who need a certain degree of independence, but also appreciate the benefits of having all the details sorted for them and the advantage of being in a group and making new friends along the way, without having to pay for a single supplement,” Jackson adds.

Overall, it looks like young people are craving island vibes, sunbathing, lots of sightseeing and a healthy dose of adventure for 2022 travel.

Another great option for South Africans looking to earn money as they travel is by teaching English as a foreign language.