Changing Demographics: Who’s Traveling With Whom?

In August 2015, the U.S. Travel Association released its Changing Demographics: Current Trends That Drive American Travel report, which analyzes how differences in travel behavior between various U.S. demographics—and the larger economic, social and cultural drivers behind them—affect the travel industry. U.S. Travel member research subscribers have full access to this report, and all members have access to complimentary fact sheets highlighting each section. 

This month, members received the Evolving Households and Travel Parties fact sheet, which provides an overview of how and why travel party compositions—or, who’s traveling with whom—are shifting. Here’s a sample of some of the information available in this month’s Changing Demographics fact sheet release.

Overall, group travel is on the rise—but not exactly in the traditional, “family vacation” sense. Leisure travel with children is actually on the decline across America, thanks to changing norms surrounding family composition, as well as when and if people are choosing to marry and have children. Therefore, as trips include children less often, friends and other relatives are included more frequently. Multigenerational leisure trips—i.e. grandparents traveling with their children and grandchildren—have also risen in popularity.

Some facts and figures may explain this changing trend. In 2014, just over one-quarter of Millennials (adults aged 18-34, born 1980-1996) were married—that’s just half the rate of Baby Boomers (adults born 1946-1964) that were married when they were the same age. The number of Americans who are grandparents, though, is on the rise. The U.S. is currently home to more than 70 million grandparents, and one in three Americans will be grandparents by 2020.

Taking these figures into account, the rise in multigenerational travel likely correlates with this growing number of grandparents in the U.S.—and the relative financial instability of the Millennial generation as compared to their Boomer parents at that age. Family vacations are increasingly being taken with grandparents, motivated not only by the opportunity to create lasting memories, but also because grandparents are likely more able to finance such trips.

This is just a small sample of the information that is part of the full Changing Demographics report that is available to U.S. Travel research subscribers. Non-members of U.S. Travel can email membership@ustravel.org to purchase the fact sheets that are complimentary to members, with all key research about changing travel party compositions, along with four others, for $150. Learn more about all the benefits of becoming a U.S. Travel member here.