How Gen Z and Millennials are reshaping sustainable travel

Gen Z and Millennial travelers are rewriting the rules on when and where they go and what they’ll give up to protect the places at the top of their bucket lists. Expedia Group’s new study, Travel with Purpose: How Gen Z & Millennials Are Redefining the Journey, surveyed 7,000 travelers across seven markets and found overtourism and environmental impact are now central to how younger travelers plan trips. They’re willing to travel off-peak, choose less crowded alternatives, and back measures that reduce pressure on popular destinations.

As Expedia Group looks to the next 30 years, and travelers head outside in record numbers, the company is launching Expedia Trails Fund, a multi-year commitment to restore, protect, and future-proof the trails, parks, and coastlines that inspire millions of trips. 

For partners across lodging, destinations, activities, and transportation, this is both a responsibility and an opportunity: meet demand for more purposeful travel while helping protect the world’s most loved places.

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Sustainability has shifted from a niche concern to a routine part of trip planning with most travelers now actively weighing environmental concerns.

• 60% of travelers say they consider their environmental impact more now than they did 3–5 years ago. Among Gen Z, that rises to 68%, compared with 52% of Millennials, signaling a stronger shift among the youngest travelers.*

• In the last 12 months, 76% say environmental or social issues influenced their travel plans at least once (choice of destination, timing, or activities).*

• Within that, there’s a generational contrast. 91% of Gen Z travelers surveyed said environmental or social concerns influenced their travel plans at least once in the past year, compared to 62% of Millennials surveyed.*

Environmental concerns and overtourism are a default part of planning how and when Gen Z chooses to travel, whereas it’s considered but less critical for Millennials.

Younger travelers aren’t just talking about overtourism; they are changing their plans to avoid it.

• 94% say they would be willing to travel off‑peak if it helped reduce crowding and preserve the local environment.*

• 94% say they would choose a less crowded alternative destination or attraction offering similar experiences to avoid crowds.*

• 83% say they would support measures at popular sites to prevent overcrowding and protect natural/cultural assets, even if it limits their own access. Within that, 42% of Gen Z travelers strongly agree, versus 34% of Millennials.*

Together, these findings show younger travelers are giving destinations permission to manage demand differently from steering trips into off‑peak seasons to nudging people toward quieter alternatives and backing measures to control crowding.

The research shows that trips to national parks are alive and well, underscoring just how important nature-based travel has become and how much it contributes to local communities.

• 86% of respondents took at least one national park or nature trip in the last 12 months.* 

• Nearly half (46%) took one or two such trips, and more than a quarter (26%) took three or four.* 

• Gen Z book national parks/nature trips more often (more multi trip behavior), while Millennials are more likely to either not go at all or limit themselves to just one or two trips a year.*
  • Millennials skew more to 1–2 trips (50%) compared with Gen Z (42%).*
  • Gen Z are notably more likely to take 3-4 trips (34%), than Millennials (19%). 

• More than 60% of Gen Z and Millennial travelers spent several hundred U.S. dollars on their most recent national park or nature trip, including transportation, accommodation, food, activities, and shopping. These trips, ranging from $251 to $750 USD, provide meaningful economic support to local communities and businesses.*

As demand for nature-based, impact-aware travel grows, connecting travelers with partners investing in protection, restoration, and community benefit can help turn that demand into long-term resilience for destinations — while positioning those partners to earn the loyalty of the next generation of travelers.