WorldExecutivesDigest | 5 Brilliant Tips for Travelling Like a Millennial | Unlike their parents’ generation, millennials don’t wait for anybody or anything when it comes to travel. They just go. They know that there’s no point in wasting time and standing by for that one perfect trip in the distant future, when you can travel as often as possible and to as many different places as you can now. Millennials are huge contributors to the travel industry and that makes their opinion and their travel habits extremely important. Here’s what you can learn from them to improve your own travel experience.
Pack Wisely
Gone are the days of stuffing enormous suitcases with every outfit you’ve bought since your previous trip and saved for a special occasion. When it comes to packing, millennials tend to be smart and minimalistic, as they pack only what’s necessary. You’ll see them carrying a small bag, a tiny suitcase or even just a backpack to their trips.
That way, they don’t have to pay any extra fees at the airport, as they can simply carry everything in as hand luggage. In addition, they won’t have a huge shopping spree in preparation for their travels, but rather use what they already have in their closets. They’ll choose a few interchangeable clothing items, meaning that they can be combined in several ways, for any occasion.
They’ll use their devices to save space as well. For instance, instead of taking five books, they’ll bring only their e-reader and a charger. These kinds of choices can make a huge difference when it comes to bag size and are something you should pick up from a millennial traveler.
Adjust Your Travel Date
In order to see more of the world, it’s important not to overspend on things that you truly don’t have to. That’s why, travel-wise, resourcefulness is one of the qualities that can surely be attributed to millennials.
They’ll avoid going anywhere mid-season, as they’re aware that they can get much more for their money if they simply go somewhere out of season. Before they pick their travel date, they’ll first check out the transport prices, whether they’ll travel by plane, train or bus, so that they find the most affordable tickets out there. They’ll also do their best to make reservations early, so as to get better deals.
This type of flexibility makes it possible for them to save plenty of money, which they can later use for other, more interesting things. It can even allow them to take a whole other trip, as a well-planned low-season trip can cost half the price of a high-season trip, especially when you pay full price for the plane ticket.
Be Eco-Friendly
Millennials are more environmentally-conscious than the generations before them. The concepts of sustainability and ecology are something they pay attention to in every aspect of their lives, including travelling. For instance, they’ll go online and find somebody they can share a ride with to get to their destination, if possible.
Aside from trying to lower their transport costs significantly, they’ll also aim at leaving a smaller ecological footprint. It’s for this reason that they’ll choose walking or cycling as a means of getting from one sight to another and exploring their destination or choice. This sort of mindfulness will also be evident in what they eat, what cosmetics they use or what clothes and accessories they invest in.
They’ll know which products are the best and precisely how they were made. For instance, if they opt for leather goods, they’ll learn that New Zealand is famous for premium leather products. So, they’ll travel fashionably with unique leather handbags NZ made, knowing that each was made as a by-product from dairy and meat industry, and that they can buy them at reasonable prices, without settling for less when it comes to quality and style.
Forget Expensive Tours
Another reason our elders didn’t get to travel that much is that they would spend fortune on organized travel packages. They’d stay at pricey hotels, where they’d have a week or so of what they considered extravaganza, and then save money for a long time, sometimes years, to travel to another destination. Similarly, their travel arrangements included guided tours and dinner reservations in restaurants recommended by the travel agencies. Nowadays, things are completely different.
Millennials avoid staying at hotels, as they consider it an unnecessary cost. They utilize various apps and websites to find self-catered accommodation, reaping the benefits of short-term apartment rentals. Not only are these much cheaper than hotels, but they also have a kitchen you can use, so that you can cook some of your meals, instead of spending insane amounts of money in restaurants. Plus, if you do decide to eat out, you can always search the net for recommendations of places near you.
That way you can go through customer reviews, so that you find out where you can eat the best food at an acceptable price. Finally, millennials will plan their trip thoroughly at home, so that they know which places are worth visiting before they even reach their destination. This also cancels the need for a paid guide and gives them the freedom to spend more time in places they like and less time in those they don’t.
Learn Something
Sightseeing, partying and lying on the beach are fun, but millennials want much more from their trips. This is why they put their time away from home to good use by learning new skills and embracing the authenticity of different cultures and traditions. They’ll do their best to learn at least some of the language of the place they’re visiting, but they’ll be interested in taking a cooking course as well, so that, once they’re back home, they can recreate some of the meals authentic to the area they visited.
They’ll also be eager to spend time with the locals, in a desire to observe their way of life, which also means that they can get a more in-depth experience of the place they traveled to. In addition, if the area is famous for a certain kind of product, millennials will often try to find out first-hand how that particular product is made. For instance, they’ll observe how people make home-made pasta in Italy or how teapots are hand-painted in China, and they won’t mind getting their hands dirty, trying to master the basics of the process.
Millennials are active, bold and creative when it comes to organizing an amazing and exciting trip for as little money as humanly possible. So, follow their lead and see the world, one wonderful place and extraordinary adventure at a time.
WorldExecutivesDigest | 5 Brilliant Tips for Travelling Like a Millennial