• Gen Z is redefining travel   

Excerpt from USATODAY

'I want to get there before it gets too touristy'

Seven years ago, Eli Snyder’s job didn’t exist, nor would the 25-year-old feel confident about choosing a travel destination.

As a full-time TikTok travel influencer, Snyder is in Laos before spending the next couple of months exploring Vietnam and the Philippines. The Kansas City native then plans to leave Asia and venture into six South American countries, including Argentina and Chile.

To Snyder, travel is all about being “surprised,” and having his “preconceived notions about a place to be turned upside down.” Of course, connecting with the local culture and eating good food is a big part of it too. 

“(Before, if you were) going to Mexico, you’re going to do an all-inclusive, but now you’re going to leave the coast and go inland to see the rural towns,” he said.

Snyder is inspired by fellow young content creators who travel to less touristy destinations – places his parents would never dream of going to. “There’s an emphasis on finding your own destination and spots rather than tourist hotspots,” Snyder said.

Younger people have always been scrappy as they seek to travel the world and discover themselves. After all, youth hostels have been around for over a century. “I think some things don’t change through generations: the fundamental appeal of travel is timeless, offering interesting perspectives of the world and hitting that recharge button,” said Will Jones, brand manager at StudentUniverse, a travel platform exclusively for students and youth.

“Unlike younger generations in the past, Gen Z is steering away from the typical young travel of partying,” Jones said. “They would rather experience a new culture and go sightseeing.” The most popular destinations among Gen Zers were found to be Italy and Japan, which are “more cultural places than the more traditional party places.”

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