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These are the top 5 best cities in the world for millennial travelers

Holidu , a Germany-based travel search engine, released its 2022 generational travel index. The research looked at cities around the world to determine the best travel destinations for millennials.

The index found that 71% of millennials use Instagram at least once a week and base their trips around the city's food scene.

Holidu's study ranked cities that are considered the most "Instagrammable", have the most national dishes ranked in the top 100 and are the most family-friendly.

No. 1 best city for millennial travelers: Paris, France

Paris took the top spot. The French city is home to some of the world's most iconic landmarks and has been hashtagged over 137 million times on Instagram.

The French capital also has two dishes on the top 100 best national dishes and is where you can visit one of the happiest places on Earth — Disneyland Paris.

Top 5 best cities for millennials travelers

• Paris, France
• Barcelona, Spain
• Madrid, Spain
• New York, United States
• Miami, United States

Barcelona ranked in second place on the list. The city has two national dishes on the list of the best 100 dishes.

The Spanish city is also home to some of the most Instagrammable places, including the Sagrada Familia and Park Güell. Barcelona's hashtag was used on over 68 million Instagram posts, according to Holidu.

Madrid came in third place for traveling millennials and ranked in the top spot for multi-generational traveling . The Spanish capital scored a 4 out of 5 for its family-friendliness.

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The Top 20 Places Gen Z & Millennials Want to Travel

• Jun 29 2023

These are the top 20 t ravel destinations young people tell YPulse they want to visit …

• Hawaii is the top destination that Gen Z and Millennials want to travel to
• France dropped to the 9th place young people want to travel to, after being the top destination last year
• Once again, international travel is at the top of these gens’ minds, and they prefer it over domestic travel

Before the pandemic, Gen Z and Millennials were the wanderlust generations—and while many put their travel plans on hold the last couple of years, nothing is keeping them from their adventures this year. YPulse’s recent Travel report data shows 78% of young people believe we are living in a “post COVID-19 era” this year, compared to just 47% who said so in 2022. Now the vast majority (93%) are interested in traveling to different destinations up +10 points from 2022—and their dream travel destinations are all over the world.  

Almost eight in 10 young people agree that being well-traveled is important, which may be why nearly one-quarter of 13- 39-year-olds told YPulse that traveling was a part of their 2023 New Year’s resolution. The top reasons why these gens say they’re interested in taking trips is not only to relax and escape everyday life, but also to experience other cultures. The latter is especially important to Gen Z, who are +6pts more likely than Millennials to say they are interested in experiencing different cultures when traveling. This can be attributed to how diverse this generation is and the fact that they’re also super interested in international entertainment .  

So, as travel picks back up—where do Gen Z and Millennials want to go? We asked them exactly that, as an open-ended question so they could name any location. And while there were hundreds of destinations named, these are their top 20:  

If They Could Take a Trip Anywhere in The World, Where Would They Go?   13-39-year-olds  

• Australia  
• California  
• Bora Bora  
• Las Vegas  

Hawaii moved to the top of their list after being high in their rankings the last several years  

The U.S.’s 50 th state has floated amongst Gen Z and Millennials’ top travel destinations for a while now—and this year, it finally made it to their top spot. Hawaii is the ultimate dream destination for these gens and those who chose it as their top travel spot say they want to visit because of its tropical vibes, beaches, and overall relaxing atmosphere. One 37-year-old Millennial female says Hawaii’s her dream travel destination because “I love the ocean and all the scenic photos I’ve seen. I want to try their food and see the volcanos as well.” Another 13-year-old Gen Z female says she wants to go because “I want to go to a luau and see the ocean and whales.” So again, having a relaxing vacation where they can also immerse themselves in the culture is extremely important to these gens.  

France dropped pretty significantly compared to previous years  

These gens still crave international travel, but France, which was their top travel destination pick last year and second top in 2021, has dropped to 9 th place this year. This may have a lot to do with the TikTok coverage of unrest in the country this year, notably the amount of trash on the streets of Paris . On the other hand, it could just be that they think France, given its popularity as a European stop for North Americans, is overrated given that the majority (57%) of Gen Z and Millennials agree with the statement: “Social media ruins good travel destinations by making them too popular.” However, Paris is still their fourth top destination—proving that its social media coverage hasn’t entirely taken away from the allure of the city of love just yet.  

Other European countries still take up a good portion of the list with Italy, Greece, Spain, and London among their top destinations. Europe in general is ranked as their 11 th top destination, suggesting that these gens may want to hop from country to country and live out the European vacation of their dreams (and have places to wear all their outfit inspo this summer ).  

International travel is still more favorable than domestic  

Like last year, it’s clear that while some domestic travel is part of their travel goals, international travel is especially dominant on their list of “dream” destinations. Japan is high on their list again, taking the second spot, and Australia moved up from 13 th in 2022 to 6 th this year. Mexico also moved up from 20 th last year to now 10 th, proving that these gens are expanding their preferences.  

And yet, Florida takes the 5 th spot and California is on the list as well, while cities like New York and Las Vegas are among their top rankings, too. Of those who said Florida and California though, Disney World and Disneyland are of course mentioned as some of their top reasons why they want to visit.  

Overall, Young people choose their travel destinations based on activities and culture and they look beyond the hype on social media. While most, if not all, travel brands are advertising on social media, it’s important for brands to showcase unique destinations and activities to young travelers. For example, a boutique hotel in a faraway destination may consider highlighting the country’s culture, the hotel’s uniqueness and history, and what excursions the hotel may offer with nearby activities. Other brands interested in connecting with travelers might focus on some of these top destinations but make it a point to look beyond the typical tourist spots and really dive into the local culture.  

Travel Report

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