Gen Z Puts Travel on Par with Career as 2026 Trips Get More Personal, Slow and Smart
SHERIDAN, WYOMING – December 8, 2025 – For a growing wave of travellers – especially Gen Z – a passport stamp now feels just as important as a promotion. New 2026 insights from Global Hotel Alliance’s 34-million-member GHA DISCOVERY loyalty programme show that trips are becoming less about ticking boxes and more about expressing who you are, how you want to live and what you truly value.
Travel as identity: why Gen Z sees trips as milestones
Across all ages, 65% of travellers say that travel expresses their identity, and nearly 90% either agree or stay neutral – a clear sign that trips are now part of how people define themselves. Among Gen Z, that trend goes even further: half say travel matters more than traditional career milestones, with particularly strong sentiment in Germany, the US, Thailand, the UAE and India.