Gen Z Turns to Travel for Real-Life Romance, Study Finds

With fully-online dating losing its appeal for some, a growing number of Gen Z singles are looking to travel as a way to meet potential partners. A recent trend report from Priceline found that Gen Z travelers in the U.S. are 75% more likely than the average traveler to research destinations known for meeting new people. In Britain, a study from Hilton revealed that 52% of Gen Z travelers are embarking on “YOLO” trips after breakups, hoping to heal and perhaps find love abroad.

Unlike previous generations who met partners in everyday social settings, Gen Z often struggles to form connections offline. For those who can afford it, travel offers an escape from digital fatigue and a chance to experience romance organically while also enabling them to meet people outside of their local area – the exact same advantage as using the internet.

Travel companies are taking note, tailoring their offerings to this mindset. For example, EF Ultimate Break, which organizes trips for 18-35-year-olds, ran an “Ultimate Break(up) Tour” for Valentine’s Day last year that was designed for newly single travelers – with a new version of the tour running this year. While not explicitly matchmaking, these tours create environments where connections form naturally. Apps like Tinder have also created features explicitly meant to help users travel in their searches for love.

Travel is obviously also important in online relationships, with a large portion of Gen Z daters being both willing and eager to date partners long-distance with either occasional or regular visits. This means that their dating pools are much wider, and that relationships are more likely to be maintained by younger daters even if there is a large physical distance between them.

With Gen Z prioritizing shared experiences over swiping, travel is becoming an unexpected but effective part of the dating world – both as an alternative to other dating methods, and as a way to facilitate connection in existing relationships that can’t be kept in-person.