Eurostat, the European statistics agency, recently studied people's travel habits across age groups. According to the study, older people tend to travel the least. In 2022, more than half (55%) of the people over the age of 65 did not take any trips for personal reasons where they had to spend at least one night away from home.
While the proportion of people who did not travel is lower for the general population, it is still relatively high. Almost four out of ten people (over 15 years of age) did not go on a holiday. In contrast, young adults tend to travel more frequently. Only 29% of people aged between 25 and 34, less than one-third of the population, did not travel.
Travel Habits
There is a common belief that older people prefer to stay in their own country for vacations. This is true, as the study found that 70% of people over 65 travel within their own country. However, this trend is also prevalent among the younger population, with 57.2% of people aged 15 to 64 not leaving their country for holidays.
It is unclear whether these figures pertain to the year the study was conducted or the previous year. In 2022, people may have chosen to stay within their own country due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the summer of 2022 was marked by a shortage of staff and frequent strikes, causing many flight cancellations. The study does not provide country-specific data, which would be interesting to compare.
On average, elderly people tend to stay longer on their vacations, with an average of 6.3 nights compared to 5 nights for those aged 15 to 64. Additionally, retirees tend to avoid staying in hotels, with 53.2% preferring to stay in a "non-rented dwelling" such as a second home, with relatives, or in a caravan. This percentage is lower for the younger age group, with only 43.7% preferring non-rented accommodations.
Retirees also have more flexibility to travel in the off-season, with 57.8% taking vacations between March and June or September and November. In contrast, only 45.2% of people aged 15 to 64 can avoid the peak vacation months of July and August.
Why Not Travel?
According to the survey, people who did not go on a trip gave different reasons. For those aged 65 and above, health is the number one reason cited by over 40% of the respondents. This was followed by a lack of desire or motivation (35%) and finances (nearly 30%).
However, for those aged between 15 and 64, finances are the number one reason given by 45% of the respondents. Health (9%) and lack of desire (20%) are less frequently stated reasons. Furthermore, almost 30% of those surveyed say they could not travel because they were busy with work or study, which is not a significant concern for those over 65.