Love lost or not, they're off to find themselves: Travel cos' unique itineraries for Gen Z & millennials

Time of India

10-07-2025

New Delhi: Nursing a broken heart, and want to travel solo but not entirely?
Travel companies offer '
break-up holidays
' that will put you in touch with like-minded travellers who are similarly single. There are also options like the Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara-inspired La Tomatina Festival trip or pub crawls in Madrid to uplift your spirits. Literally.
With roughly 65% of India's population under the age of 35 years, travel services providers are charting out new and unusual itineraries for the Gen Z digital natives and millennials who want more than mere sightseeing.
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"They need stories, visuals, feelings and moments to share," said Govind Gaur, chief executive of
WanderOn
.
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His company offers itineraries ranging from break-up getaways to holidays in places that offer material for OTT-style travel reels. These include fossil hunting in the high-altitude village of Langza in Spiti Valley, nights spent under star-lit skies by the Chandratal Lake in Himachal and a trip to the musical hamlet of Kongthong in Meghalaya where people communicate via tunes.
Leisure travel has picked up after Covid, with young people being key drivers of the trend as they seek to explore new places and experience. While remote work has made it possible to travel without taking leave from work, social media is boosting the appeal of travel and often influencing the decision on travel destinations.
Young India's millennials and Gen Z are power-driving India's travel story, said Neeraj Singh Dev, executive vice president and head of ecommerce and domestic and short haul holidays at Thomas Cook (India).
The company has designed packages around concerts and pop culture references, seeing the strong influence of OTT content and global events. "We incorporate street food trails, themed cafes, filming locations, and fan experiences like wearing Hanbok at Gyeongbokgung Palace or visiting BTS landmarks into our itineraries," said Dev.
Travel companies are keeping the starting price for such packages attractive to serve as a hook.
For instance, Thomas Cook's Krabi-Phuket five nights/six days tour starts at ₹52,500 per person on twin share, including airfare. The Langkawi-Kuala Lumpur package starts at ₹55,220, with add-on options like scuba diving, ATV rides and nightlife experiences.
The hospitality industry is undergoing a significant transformation, with millennials and Gen Z travellers expected to represent 83% of hotel guests by 2030, said MP Bezbaruah, secretary general at the Hotel Association of India.
Hotels are responding by curating eco-friendly initiatives, wellness retreats, and culinary experiences, while also adopting and integrating technology to meet customers' personalized needs and convenience. Some newer hotel concepts include check-ins at the bar, extended breakfast timings or even all-day breakfast options, and experiences such as drunches and bar marathons.
Data from SOTC Travel show a drop in the average age of its customers by nearly 10 years since the pandemic, said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours.
While the company's packages now have inclusions like super-car racing at autodromes or circuits in Dubai-Abu Dhabi, sake and soju sampling in Japan and bar-hopping in Ibiza with many takers, the pilgrimage-darshans portfolio is also witnessing strong demand from millennials and Gen Zs, especially for the Char Dham Yatra and spiritual circuits like Ayodhya, Prayagraj and Dwarka, he said.