Some of these are very surprising.
According to a new study from Contiki— a travel company who “connect[s] young travelers to the time of their lives”—millennials would rather travel than do just about anything else. Of the 1,500 American participants in the study, 57 percent claimed they would rather experience another culture than have sex. And although that’s the most eye-catching, headline-grabbing statistic provided, according to the study, there are several more things millennials would avoid for the opportunity to wander the world.
Brunch
Millennials might have helped make this weekend activity a regular occurrence in today’s world, but they told vacation rental service Homeaway they’d be willing to give it up. The company surveyed 1,087 people between the ages of 18-34 in the U.S. and 93 percent said they’d substitute the avocado toast for a plane ticket.
Netflix
Are you surprised? Eighty percent of participants in Contiki’s study said they would abandon the streaming service to hop on a plane to another location. This is especially impressive upon learning nearly 30 percent of all millennials prefer the gargantuan platform to traditional cable TV.
Cell Phones
Considering that cell phones are pretty much essential for traveling in today’s world, I assume this vice means staring at social media accounts on a bright screen in the palm of a hand—41 percent said they could do without it (49 percent said they spend at least 8 hours a day on their phones), Contiki claims.
Buy a Home
This information actually came from a study conducted last year by Airbnb, who questioned 1,000 people online, ages 18-35 in the U.S., U.K., and China. Approximately 70 percent said they value a personal travel experience as it could help shape their lives. Seventy-five percent of those surveyed said they’d also like to create their own itineraries rather than booking a pre-arranged trip. As a matter of fact, 51 percent of the study’s participants said they spend 1-3 hours on accommodation research for their trips.
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Drink Alcohol
An activity that usually takes place during brunch, drinking alcohol is something Contiki found 73 percent of millennials would give up to explore the globe. Actually, 69 percent of millennials said a fear of missing out, or “FOMO,” pushed them to travel. Besides, you can consume libations anywhere.
Carbohydrates
In my opinion, this is perhaps the most difficult on this list, especially while you’re traveling—60 percent said they’d give them up all together though…so maybe it’s easier than I think. I just really like bread.
Coffee
Seventy-seven percent of millennials said they’d be willing to give up morning joe. Perhaps a morning hike in the Peruvian mountains is just as effective at waking you up?
Pay off Debt
Wouldn’t anyone? Lord knows, millennials have racked up college loans—Forbes reported that there are $1.5 trillion students who are paying off their school loans in the U.S.; “the average student in the Class of 2016 has $37,172 in student loan debt,” the site said.