One in three 18-34 year olds spend their time travelling the globe so they can post boastful pictures on Facebook and Instagram, new research has found.
Thirty-four per cent of young adults give in to the “social ego” and chose their holiday destinations so they can upload new photos on social media, the survey by Booking.com showed.
The travel website said it is the “competitive nature” of the generation that leads to online rivalry, with almost half of the age group also saying they feel jealous of their friends’ holiday posts.
Pictures of beautiful oceans, roof-down road trips and exotic cuisine posted online are what helps motivate young adults, the travel company said.
It argued that the online competition was in fact a positive thing, with almost two thirds of travellers saying their experience has increased their confidence.
Pepijn Rijvers, chief marketing officer at Booking.com, said: “Undertaking a new travel experience for the first-time, whether that’s visiting a new place or travelling solo, can be a fruitful, life enhancing and even life changing experience.”
The study also found that nearly half the generation - 44 per cent - use social media platforms to help chose where to travel.
It also claims that it is the dreaded “fear of missing out” making it feel like “everyone is travelling but them” that leads to impulse holiday bookings.
The experience was even found to lead people to change jobs or even their partner, with one in ten travellers saying they had returned home and made the change.
Just over a fifth – 21 per cent – said they were even inspired to move somewhere new.
