Young people are not much different than adults when it comes to their desire to travel. They too want to experience new attractions and cultures, learn about new places, see new sites, try different food, and have time to relax. Some students, depending on their age, want to travel to further their education or explore vocational opportunities. In fact, according to a survey by Boston-based StudentUniverse, a global student and youth travel agency, the three main reasons young people want to travel are for those very reasons: education, vocation, and leisure.
Another report, this one conducted by Arlington, Virginia-based SYTA (Student & Youth Travel Association), called the Business Barometer Research Report, found “the student group travel sector has surpassed 2019 in revenue and number of students traveled, which at that time was a record year,” according to Carylann Assante, the organization’s CEO. “Global student group travel volume of 2.85 million students in 2023 surpassed 2019 levels by 16%.”
Early this decade, student travel numbers took a hit, as they did in other sectors, due to the COVID-19 pandemic; but numbers have improved over the past few years as more people, including students and teachers, felt the itch to get away and have new experiences. Assante says student travel has continued to rebound since the pandemic, notably first with domestic trips. “In-country travel was the first to recover and continues to grow with tour operators booking more local and regional travel in addition to their traditional programs,” she explains. “First-time traveling teachers are looking at how they can offer a travel experience that is closer to home, more affordable, and provides the positive impact of the travel experience on their students. We have also seen an increase in demand for outdoor activities and national parks.”
Assante says the number of student trips to other countries also has been on the rebound. “At the same time,” she says, “out-of-country travel in 2023 increased 240% since the pandemic as educators and students act on the pent-up demand. The United Kingdom and the United States led the way in bookings with the addition of new destinations in Europe and Africa.” But, Assante explains, there is a wrench in the toolbox. “While student group travel bookings are still strong, we are seeing signs that the economy, higher prices, and the overall economic concerns are impacting student numbers. We see the same number of trips with fewer students.”
Popular Trips
As with other travel sectors, the student/ youth segment has its highlights, places, and themes that attract young people. “Student travel is known for its resiliency and consistency,” Assante shares. “There will always be another eighth-grade class studying American history, which means a trip to Washington, D.C., or the drama class will travel to New York City to see a Broadway show, and the marching band will travel to a parade in Orlando to perform.”
Highlighting destinations, she says New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Orlando, Florida, consistently attract the largest number of domestic student travelers. They seem to be the tried-and-true favorites, with many offerings in their cities; but other destinations also are becoming noticed. “The silver lining,” Assante continues, “is that each year new destinations are added to student itineraries as destinations develop their student offerings and demonstrate their commitment to welcoming younger travelers.” She says some of the other increasingly popular destinations are Branson and St. Louis, Missouri; Charleston, South Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Nashville and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee; Savannah, Georgia; Puerto Rico, and many more.
Jane Hooper, communications manager of Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism in Lake Placid, New York, says the state’s Adirondack region also sees a lot of youth groups every year and they are always welcome. “The Adirondack Park, located in upstate New York, welcomes those who enjoy outdoor adventure; young people included,” she says. “The Adirondacks are within a day’s drive for 25% of the entire North American population—relatively easy access for many, many people.” With such a big playground and so many outdoor adventures for families, youth groups, and others in which to partake, there’s never a dearth of things to experience. Two activities that draw young and not-so-young alike are hiking and paddling, Hooper says. Makes sense, since the Adirondack region “boasts 3,000 ponds and lakes, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and more than 2,000 miles of hiking trails.” Another top attraction is an excursion on the Northville-Placid Trail, which Hooper says is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, that traverses the park about 138 miles from Northville to Lake Placid “through some of the most pristine wilderness.”
Student group planners have a variety of themes to consider when planning their itineraries, including the outdoors adventure theme. Others that seem to be popular include arts and theater performances, amusement parks, culinary tours, cultural and historical sites, language immersion, and service-based programs. Some organizations, such as Rustic Pathways, offer programs for young people to participate in service projects in some states and even in foreign countries. But Assante says what she is witnessing is that service-based trips’ popularity is being replaced in many instances by other opportunities. “Student travel is more often based on the educational purpose of the trip—history, music and performance, language, international studies, and volunteering,” she explains. “We have seen a shift from volunteer and service trips to sustainability and cultural immersion as more students become aware of the impact they have on the destinations they visit and the people they meet.”
Positive Impacts
Besides the adventure that traveling to new places give to young people, youth and student trips also provide life experiences. Group trips can help boost students’ confidence in themselves, which in turn can have any number of dividends, some of them that might last a lifetime. They can also help bring a student greater appreciation for diversity, which in turn may be attractive to future employers, because they can teach students to appreciate other cultures and people around them. Assante noted the benefits of student travel as she noticed them: “Our research shows that travel positively impacts students. They become more self-confident, develop leadership skills, develop empathy for others, and engage more in the classroom.”
Perhaps not always considered, youth trips may also benefit destination marketing organizations and other tourism groups because of young people’s proclivity to social media. “By sharing their exciting experiences online,” StudentUniverse reports, “they actually end up marketing destinations in an authentic way to their peers and wider networks.” Globally combined, also according to the report, youth and student travelers possess about $400 billion in buying power. And, more than half of the young adults surveyed, many of whom participated in student and youth trips when they were younger, say they plan to travel overseas in the near very future; more than a third of them say they prefer to spend money on experiences over products.
Looking ahead, while the youth travel sector has made vast improvements over the past couple of years since the pandemic, with impressive numbers showing last year, what should travel planners expect going forward? Barring any unforeseen circumstances on a national or global scale, the travel sector’s future seems to be bright. Or as Assante says, “very positive.” And, she notes, students need not travel far to have experiences they’ll remember for years to come: “As students become more aware of their role in the world and the positive impact they can have, they are more interested in becoming global citizens, and travel provides that opportunity. Even if you are traveling to the next town over.”
By Andrew Weeks
Main Image Credit: Adobe/william87
