Boomers Plan to Travel More Than Any Other Generation This Summer

More than three out of five U.S. residents plan to take at least one leisure trip this summer and 37% of those travelers will be Boomers, which is a 2-percentage-point increase over 2016.

More than three out of five U.S. residents plan to take at least one leisure trip this summer and 37% of those travelers will be Boomers, which is a 2-percentage-point increase over 2016. “Those who think Millennials are replacing Boomers as the most-traveled generation are wrong, because, once again, Boomers will be the single largest traveling generation this summer,” states Cheryl Schutz, vice president, products and services at DK Shifflet.

Historically, Boomers, which are people born from 1946 to 1964, and Traditionals, which refers to people born before 1946, have taken longer summer trips than the average traveler and they plan to do so again this summer. These longer trips result in higher spending so it is no surprise that more Boomers and Traditionalists say they plan to spend more this year than Millennials, which are people born from 1981 to 1997, or Gen Xers, which are people born from 1965 to 1980. Between 20% and 25% of all generations say, however, that they expect to spend more this year than last.  

Results are based on a representative sample of the U.S. population (n=9,573) interviewed in April 2017 for summer travel intentions by DK Shifflet. DK Shifflet has been producing quarterly travel intention reports to help marketers anticipate and plan for fluctuations in travel demand and spending. Fall 2017 intentions will be available in August.