The most popular travel destinations for every generation
Brits of all ages enjoy travel – but what those over 65 are looking for isn’t the same as where 16-24 year olds are going. Who’s travelling the furthest, and where is everyone going?
We’ve looked at the top locations for travel by each age group, as well as some local prices to help potential travellers plan their next holiday.
Universally Popular
Some locations are a hit, no matter how old you are. These include:
Spain
The number one travel destination for all ages, Spain is most visited by those aged 65 and over. In 2018, nearly a quarter (24.6%) of holidays for this age group were to Spain. It was least visited by 24-34 year-olds, accounting for only 13.6% of their holidays – but was still their top choice.
France
France, like Spain, is popular across all age groups, and again fares best among the 65 and over group. 12.5% of their holidays were to France in 2018. And like Spain, 25-34 year olds visited France least, with only 10% of their holidays across the Channel.
USA
Unlike Spain and France, USA was not universally the next most popular choice – 25-34 year olds preferred Germany (though USA was their next top option). Overall, however, it represented 6.7% of trips made by Brits in 2018.
Uniquely popular destinations for each age
While some locations are popular with everyone, others are more favoured by one age group than another. The following countries were visited by each age group more than the overall average of trips to that destination:
Uniquely popular destinations for 16-24 year olds
Visits to China by this age group in 2018 were 135% over the average, at 0.8% of their travel in 2018.
Uniquely popular destinations for 25-34 year olds
Trips to Estonia by 25-34 year-olds represented 91% more than average. Travel there represented 0.2% of their trips in 2018.
Uniquely popular destinations for 35-44 year olds
At 0.2% of total trips by this age group, their visits were 159% higher than the average.
Uniquely popular destinations for 45-54 year olds
0.3% of trips by 45-54 year olds in 2018 were to Egypt, making their preference 57% higher than the average.
Uniquely popular destinations for 55-64 year olds
99% higher than the average proportion of trips to Gibraltar, 0.2% of 55-64 year olds’ trips headed in that direction.
Uniquely popular destinations for 65 & Over
New Zealand was popular with those aged 65 and over, with 0.7% of travel going there last year – 152% higher than the overall average.
Brought to you by our travel insurance experts.
Methodology & Sources
Figures correct as of 11/09/19. Travel numbers by country and age group provided by:
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/leisureandtourism/datasets/travelpac for the year of 2018. Non-EU Cyprus has been excluded from results.