A new study from AAA and Bread Financial finds that younger generations are driving a surge in live event travel.
Nearly three in five respondents (65%) said they have traveled in the past 12 months or plan to travel in the next 12 months to attend an event held more than 50 miles from home, such as a concert, sporting event, comedy show or book reading, compared to 43% of Gen Xers and just 27% of Baby Boomers.
Go a step further and spend more
More than half (53%) of Gen Z travelers have flown or plan to fly to a live event, more than any other generation, and they're ready to go the extra mile — literally. Twice as many Gen Z travelers (18%) say they have traveled or are ready to travel more than 1,500 miles, the equivalent of half the distance of the continental U.S., compared to just 9% of Baby Boomer travelers.
“Traveling to live events has become a favorite pastime for younger generations,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president of AAA East Central. “Many Gen Z and millennials believe the journey is just as fun as the destination, and they're willing to spend more to attend their favorite sporting events, cheer on their favorite sports teams and enjoy their favorite artists in person. They don't want to miss out on once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” she added.
Younger generations are spending the most money to have fun, with nearly two in five Gen Z (37%) and millennial (39%) travelers spending anywhere from $500 to more than $5,000 just on tickets to live events in their destinations. To pay for this, nearly two in five millennial (42%) and Gen Z (37%) travelers are willing to dip into their savings to pay for live event travel. Nearly one-third of these travelers would consider starting a side hustle to help cover the costs of event travel. Younger generations are also getting creative to cut costs, with nearly half of millennial and Gen Z travelers saying they have already traveled or would like to travel internationally to get cheaper tickets.
Sports and music are important to Gen Z travelers
The youngest generation is leading the way in concert travel, with over half (52%) of Gen Z travelers planning to attend a music event in the next 12 months. The artist himself may be influencing Gen Z's travel habits, as one in five travelers (20%) have traveled to or are planning to travel to a Taylor Swift concert.
Gen Z is also the most likely to travel to some major sporting events: Nearly two in five Gen Z travelers (38%) have traveled or plan to travel to the 2025 Super Bowl, 32% have traveled or plan to travel to the 2024 NBA Finals, and 19% have traveled or plan to travel to the Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
I have to go because of FOMO.
FOMO (fear of missing out) also plays a major role in live event ticket purchasing, with over a third (34%) of all travelers admitting that it has influenced their purchasing decision. Gen Z travelers (54%) feel they are often pressured into purchasing event travel based on FOMO, while 83% of Baby Boomers say they resist such pressure. Additionally, younger generations (Gen Z – 44%, Millennials – 43%) emerge as the demographic that feels most pressured to spend money on events they don't want to attend.
Popular destinations for event travel
More than three in four travelers (79%) are eager to head to their dream event destination, with New York, Florida and California being the most popular states, and Las Vegas and Chicago being the top cities. Travelers are also planning around famous event venues such as Madison Square Garden (38%), the Las Vegas Sphere (38%) and Radio City Music Hall (31%).
Travelers want to spend time sightseeing and exploring before and after a live event while in a destination, with 62% saying they have built or plan to build additional time off. Gen Z (72%) and Millennials (68%) are most likely to spend additional time at a destination, ahead of Gen X (56%) and Baby Boomers (51%).
Travel is often costly due to rising ticket prices for events. The main reasons for staying home vary by generation, with Millennials most likely to skip events because they cannot take time off work (37%), while Gen Z are most concerned about budget and debt worries (38%).
“While younger generations are driving this trend, our research sheds light on how different generations think about traveling to events and how they are saving and spending money for experiential moments,” said Nick Antonelli, chief marketing officer at Bread Financial. “The results show that while many consumers are traveling for fun events, many are also budget-conscious and intentional about striking a healthy balance between managing their money and their desire to travel or attend live events.”
Research Methodology
This was an online survey of 1,654 U.S. respondents aged 18+ who have traveled or plan to travel for a live event in the past/next 12 months. The survey was conducted March 5-8, 2024.
AAA East Central is a nonprofit organization serving 2.7 million members with 70 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
