Trips Over Treats
Roughly three in four Zillennials are actively reducing entertainment, shopping, and even housing spend to prioritize travel. Travel is their splurge category—and they want it to feel worth it.
This cohort is delaying gratification to buy experiences. The implication for hospitality? Your competition isn’t limited to another hotel—it’s brunch, concerts, and gym memberships. Messaging must anchor travel as worth the trade-off. Travel brands must deliver substantial value and affirm travelers' choice to prioritize the experience.
Quote from the Tribe:
"To afford my last trip, I cut way back on shopping and stopped going out as much.”
- 20-year-old traveler from The United States - 9 trips per year.
Commercial Takeaway:
Be empathetic in campaigns, and validate the tradeoffs being made to travel.
Build messaging around value affirmation. Phrases like “this is why you saved” or “the moment you worked for” align offers with emotional ROI. Use marketing copy like “We see the value of every dollar you choose not to spend elsewhere.”
Message us to discuss how your approach compares.
About the MODIV Tribes Series
Since 2022, MODIV’s always-on Mindset® study has engaged more than 48,000 frequent travelers across 25 countries. Our mission: decode the why behind traveler behavior—so travel and hospitality brands can act smarter, faster, and with greater commercial precision.
Our Tribes series distills what hospitality leaders need to know—direct from the source. Each quarter, we engage Business Travelers, Luxury Travelers, Zillennials, and Meeting Planners through our proprietary Mindset® study, then translate what we hear into strategic insights you can use.
This isn't one-and-done research. Each week, we go back to a tribe to test sharper questions based on what you tell us you need to know. Got a question you want answered? We invite you to add your voice in the comments or reach out directly.
About the Zillenial Travel Tribe
This study reflects insights based on a blended qualitative and quantitative session with 133 travelers from 15 countries who are 1-33 years old and take at least three trips per year for business.
COMMENTS