Millennials Made First International Trip by Age Nine

The growth of low-cost flights, online reservations and multiple tourism options have all helped make international travel more widely accessible. In fact, millennials (age 18-29) generally took their first trip overseas by age nine, whereas baby boomers (age 50+) made their first international escapade at age 19, on average, according to a study from online travel agent eDreams, conducted in several countries.

The report reveals that 54% of millennials (age 18-29) had already travelled overseas by age five, whereas only 19% of baby boomers (age 50+) can say the same. Germans head abroad at the youngest age, having already experienced international travel at age nine on average. Swedes are the next youngest to venture overseas, with a first international holiday at age 11, on average, followed by the French at age 12. At the other end of the scale, Americans take a first overseas break at age 17, on average.

Across all nationalities, a millennial traveller has already visited an average six countries by age 18.

The increase in low-cost offers, the falling cost of travel and the arrival of online travel agents are some of the factors that have contributed to increasing the thirst for international travel. According to the same study, holidays at home have dropped by 4% and 51% of those polled said that they travel more than they did 10 years ago. Almost half of those polled (48%) attributed this to the fact that travel has become more accessible. Plus, 70% book their getaways via an online travel agent, with this figure rising to 83% for Swedes.

As a result, travel has practically become a necessity. Travellers spend on average 16% of their annual income on getaways. The Italians devote even more of their income to travel, setting aside 20% of their earnings.

The "Travel Through the Generations" report has been created by eDreams in conjunction with data from market research company One Poll, which conducted a consumer survey globally. The statistics within the report are a collective of 13,000 adult respondents, half are parents, across eight countries -- 2,000 people each from the UK, US, Spain, France and Germany, and 1,000 people each from Sweden, Portugal and Italy.