Younger generations are those who most regret having missed opportunities to travel

It is possible that you continue circling those vacations that you were about to book in the other side of the world, or that route by car that you could have done a while ago. It is normal! A study by Booking.com has revealed that up to 71% of travelers around the world regret having missed opportunities to travel in their lives.

Booking.com, the global leader that connects travelers with the widest offer of incredible accommodation, has carried out a study in which some 20,500 travelers from around the world have participated in collaboration with ili, the translation device fastest offline in the market. This study revealed that travelers regret mainly not having traveled more often (46%), not having traveled more than young people (35%), not having visited more places in the countries they traveled to (29%), not having gone to more recondite places (25%), not having been more adventurous when traveling (25%) and not having visited more distant destinations (25%).

However, these percentages are higher among Generation Z, in which a third regret not having been more adventurous when traveling (35%) and 1 in 10 (29%) regrets not having gone to places more recondite. Nor is it surprising that 32% of the selfie generation (aged 18 to 24) regret not having taken more photos to immortalize their trip. This figure reaches 23% among travelers of all ages.

Despite the worries that arise when traveling, motivated mainly by language barriers, budget limitations, ignorance of geography and the feeling of insecurity in unfamiliar places, 53% of travelers left their fears aside and He ended up traveling to the destination they had planned. The Generation Z is the one that is more willing to face their fears, since two thirds (61%) of young people from 18 to 24 managed to leave them aside when traveling. Overcoming these fears later encouraged 44% to expand their range of travel destinations, 41% improved their self-confidence and 40% had the feeling of having achieved a personal achievement. Traveling also strengthens relationships and helps to forge new ones, since one third of travelers (30%) improved their ties with their family and more than a quarter (27%) made new friendships that continued throughout the years.

For more than half of the travelers (55%), going on vacation caused very important changes in their lives, a figure that amounts to 71% among travelers from 18 to 24 years. Almost one fifth (19%) said they found a hobby or motivation in their lives, 17% overcame some fear and 15% learned a new language. Traveling can also be good for the body and mind, since 46% said that making a trip had a positive effect on their mental health, and 26% said that their physical condition improved.

This study has been commissioned by Booking.com and has been carried out independently with a sample of adults who have made a trip in the last 12 months or have planned to do so in the next 12 months. In total, 20,500 people were surveyed (more than 1,000 participants from Australia, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, China, Brazil, India, United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Indonesia and Colombia, and more than 500 from Japan, New Zealand , Thailand, Argentina, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Hong Kong, Croatia, Taiwan, Mexico, the Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore and Israel). The participants completed an online survey in March 2018.