Almost seven in ten travellers across generations (69%) look forward to business trips – but there are clear generational differences, according to new research by Ipsos UK and American Express Global Business Travel (Amex GBT). The ‘Meet Tomorrow’s Business Travelers’ report used representative samples of more than 1,800 business travelers in the US and UK to better understand the needs of business travelers and explore how people really feel about traveling for work.
While 70% of Gen Z respondents (aged 18 – 28) say they look forward a lot or a fair amount to traveling for work, they are also more likely to report experiencing stress, disruption and difficulty in business travel than older generations. Gen Z is also the least likely (63%) to understand that their employer has a responsibility to care for them while they are on work trips vs. business travelers overall (68%) and Millennials (73%), highlighting an opportunity for better education and communication about business travel policies and support services.
The older Millennial cohort (aged 29-44) are most positive about traveling for work and more likely than other generations to describe business travel as good for their career, exciting, motivating and good for teamwork.
Travel Disruption and Technology
- A majority of travelers across all generations, who reported experiencing disruption to work travel plans over the past year, say they felt well supported by their employer – 84% in the UK and 90% in the US.
- Gen Z travelers report higher levels of disruption in their work travel plans over the past year (45%) vs. Millennials (36%) and Gen X (32%).
- When travel is disrupted, the report found that six in ten business travelers across the generations express interest in using digital and self-service tools, while seven in ten desire human assistance – highlighting the need for a blend of human and tech support.
- More than half of respondents across all generations report they are comfortable with generative AI (GenAI) carrying out tasks ranging from booking flights (62%), to completing expense reports (60%) to booking hotels and restaurants on their behalf. However, Millennial comfort with GenAI consistently outpaces Gen Z. Despite sometimes being seen as a “digital native” generation, Gen Z travelers (60%) are less likely than Millennials (66%) to express comfort with using GenAI to book flights.
Evan Konwiser, Chief Product and Strategy Officer, Amex GBT, said: “We can see that Gen Z workers recognize how business travel can enable career growth and connection in a more disrupted world. With that said, we know that traveling can be an emotional experience, especially when it is disrupted. As an industry it is important that we find the right mix of digital self-service and human support to meet the needs of both today and tomorrow’s traveling workforce.”
He continued: “When you combine AI with human talent you can unlock exceptional user experiences while managing the corporate policy and program.”
The report also found that, across generations, there are multiple opportunities and challenges that employers must address to keep business travelers satisfied and secure on the road. Some additional takeaways include:
- Combining work with pleasure or ‘Bleisure’ travel: Almost two-thirds (62%) of US and UK business travelers have extended work trips for leisure, and half (52%) have incorporated work into leisure trips, raising conversations around work-life balance and compliance.
- Personal values heard: Nearly two thirds (65%) say their employer enables them to stick to their personal values on the road. The most frequent travelers (who have taken at least 11 flights for work in the past two years) feel this more strongly, with nearly eight in ten (78%) agreeing this is the case.
- Remote and hybrid workers on travel: Among those working remotely, four in ten said opportunities for travel would be one of the most important factors when looking for a new job. When asked about the purpose of their last work trip, hybrid workers were more likely to report a wider range of travel categories with 55% saying that client work (project work, relationship building and sales meetings) was the reason for the trip compared with 49% of remote and 47% of location workers.
- They expect to travel more for work and for it to get easier: Overall, more than half (55%) of respondents across generations expect to travel more in five years than they do today, with two-thirds thinking travel for work will get easier in the future.
Kelly Beaver MBE, Chief Executive of Ipsos in the UK and Ireland, said: “The past few years have been challenging for everyone, employers and employees alike, and those just entering the workforce for the first time are finding it especially difficult to find their feet.
We know from our own experience, and from research done by our specialist employee research team at Ipsos Karian and Box, that time spent together, whether collaborating in offices or onsite with our clients, has an important, positive impact on employee advocacy and connection. In our wider work, we are also seeing Generation Z reporting higher stress levels than other generations, so businesses and brands have an opportunity to understand how to respond to make things easier.”
The study concludes by identifying a range of ways to make business travel more seamless, secure, special and sustainable for travelers across generations.
