Do people travel for more than the perfect Instagram?
BY JASON HENNINGER
Scrolling through your Instagram feed, it might seem like everyone you know is currently doing downward dog at Machu Picchu or sipping something delicious on a pristine beach. Of course, social media is prone to exaggeration, to say the least, but there’s still valuable information to be found in these fantastical edits of life.
When we asked, “Would you rather take a road trip or fly for a weekend getaway?” a whopping 84 percent chose to hit the highways – a nod to the need for the simplicity and camaraderie often attached to a windows-down road trip. There is something else going on here, too: a desire for nostalgia along with an IG-worthy escape. When asked where road trippers wanted to go, 59 percent voted to cruise along the scenic coastline of California’s Pacific Coast Highway – a curvy drive made famous in so many classic movies.
Nature is a go-to for travelers. About 70 percent of readers voted to take vacations in nature rather than big cities.
And who do Gen Z and millennials want to spend their travel time with? Well, 68 percent chose friends over family. (Sorry, Mom.)
The let’s-get-together, road-buddy theme is ever-present in our voting insights, signaling the need for digital natives to genuinely connect as pushback against the bells and badges of technology that can overload the senses. Yes, there are travel choices being made that project an adventure to envy on Instagram, but there are also signs that the decision to spend on experiences isn’t just a photo-op for younger generations but an escape to the simpler joys of travel.
