Boomers urge millennials to hit the road

Cropped shot of a young couple enjoying a roadtrip together

The cruise loving baby boomer generation is urging millennials to ditch their overseas jaunts and get back to basics for their next holiday.

And no, we don’t mean flinging yourselves into the wilderness with nothing but a pocket knife and a very strong will to live.

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We’re talking about the great Australian road trips many boomers embarked upon in their youth.

See also: Is the era of easter road trips over?  

According to new research from Tourism and Events Queensland, a new wave of nostalgia has set in, with one in five (22 per cent) of boomers admitting the family road trips of their youth are the types of holidays younger generations should be experiencing more of.

These back-to-basics holidays beat out the types of trips usually associated with retirees including cruises and overseas holidays with driving holidays taking the top spot, followed by camping trips with 21 per cent of the vote – while overseas holidays narrowly avoided last place with eight per cent of boomers suggesting this as the holiday of choice for their younger counterparts.

In fact, boomers are six times more likely to suggest Millennials hit the road instead of the high seas with only seven per cent of Aussies over the age of 45 suggesting cruises as their holiday of choice for younger generations.

The reasons for boomer’s push for younguns to take road trips seems to stem from a yearning to encourage the family bonding they experienced during their childhood trips,  with 16% saying the top reason to hit the road is to spend quality time with loved ones as they recreate or reminisce about the family road trips of their youth.

Whether or not the younger generations are willing to forgo overseas travel to spend hours in a hot car with their family is yet to be seen.

Personally, we would rather be flung into the wilderness but we have faith that other members of our generations probably enjoy enriching, multi-generational, learning experiences.

We’re happy with our avocado fuelled overseas trips though, thanks.

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