More than half of young Aussies are choosing travel over other significant life experiences with 53 per cent heading abroad by age 21 and women leading the ‘first trip OS’ pack with almost two in three (62%) going solo compared to 56 per cent of Gen Z males.
The new Skyscanner survey of 18-25-year-olds found 61 per cent had already taken their first trip without parents or guardians with more than half (59%) keen to step out of their comfort zone and explore the world.
Of this, 35 per cent of Gen Z women have embarked on solo travel overseas before age 18 compared to just 27 per cent of Aussie males. Young Aussie women are also more likely to research their trip online (54%) as opposed to 40 per cent of males surveyed.
Work is also a major motivator for young Aussies with 58 per cent of Gen Z likely to travel overseas or interstate for work while 40 per cent would use their first trip abroad to scope out future destinations to live or work.
Solo travel trends
Almost half of Gen Z Aussies (47%) will travel to popular destinations on their first overseas trip, such as Australasia (40%), Europe (24%) and South-East Asia (14%).
More than one-third (35%) are keen for city sights as their top activity abroad with safety while travelling overseas an important priority with 70 per cent citing this as a crucial concern.
Surprisingly, social media doesn’t influence Gen Z travellers as much as their parents or peers with most going to caregivers (59%) or friends (58%) for travel advice over social media and movies (20%).
Young Aussies are also boot-strapping and budgeting for their overseas adventures with 69 per cent using their personal savings to fund travel and just 26 per cent tapping into the bank of mum and dad.
