Millennials are increasingly prioritizing travel over their careers. Why is this the case? (Credit: rema1n5 via Flickr) <\/p>\n
Like many soon-to-be college alumni, I remember facing multiple options for life post-grad. Two felt responsible attend graduate school or immediately enter my career while the third seemed more personally fulfilling: go see the world. <\/p>\n
As graduation day approached, I still didnt have an answer. Even with a wait-list letter from an Ivy League and silence on the job front, traveling didnt stand out to me as a feasible option. Career-driven, not the bravest of people and lacking the financial support of my parents to jet-set, there were a number of reasons why, while romantic, the idea of traveling post-grad didnt seem like a legitimate choice. I never had to really consider it though; I received a job offer right before graduation and took the more conventional route. <\/p>\n
My college roommate didnt. <\/p>\n
Within weeks of finishing the final courses for her degree, Kristin Wallash and her twin sister, Briana, flew on one-way tickets to Bangkok to start a year-long backpacking trip. Suddenly, her Facebook wall was flooded with exotic locales, stunning sunsets and somewhat-nauseating local cuisine the typical fare for millennials on post-grad trips. With the intent ofWWOOFing, Kristin and Briana set off to work on organic farms across Southeast Asia, wherever their paths took them, to finance their trip. <\/p>\n
Our two diverging lifestyles made me wonder: Is it better to put off your career to travel? <\/p>\n
The Benefits Of Traveling Before Starting A Career <\/p>\n
While Kristin and Brianas deviance seemed foreign to me, their impulse to buck the conventional post-graduate step is common. According to American Express American Express Business Insights, millennials are thefastest-growing age groupwhen it comes to travel spending. Theyre twice as likely as non-millennials totravel as a hobby, with 50% taking at least four leisure trips a year. Whats more, young people make up about 20% of all international travelers, according toU.N. estimates, generating a whopping $185 billion in tourism revenue abroad. <\/p>\n
Traveling is expensive, but it doesnt seem to be a luxury reserved for established adults anymore. That change can be explained by a cocktail of reasons, ranging from a tough job market to a shifting value system. <\/p>\n
The millennial generation prioritizes experiences and by extension, travel above all else, said Susana Hawkins, a design researcher at Lextant. Given how easy it has always been for them to access things digitally, millennials see analog experiences as the preferred way to develop a deeper understanding of the world around them. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Read the rest here:<\/p>\n
Should You Put Travel Above Your Career?<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Millennials are increasingly prioritizing travel over their careers. Why is this the case? Continue reading