The same generational divide that shapes how people travel is now shaping how they plan, according to the Booking.com 2026 Travel Trends survey. The study found that 69% of Gen Z respondents turn to generative AI to plan their trips and while traveling, the highest share of any age group. As with travel enthusiasm, this appetite for AI tapers off with age. Millennials followed close behind at 64%, but the drop-off steepened from there, suggesting that AI-assisted travel planning is, for now, largely a habit of the young.
The gap between the youngest and oldest travelers is clear. While two-thirds or more of Gen Z and Millennials lean on AI to research destinations, compare options, and navigate trips in real time, only 41% of Gen X and just 11% of Boomers do the same. In other words, a Gen Z traveler is more than six times as likely as a Boomer to consult a chatbot for travel advice. Based on a survey of 32,800 people who intend to travel in 2026 across 34 countries, the findings point to a future in which the travel-hungry Gen Zer is also the one most likely to hand part of the itinerary over to AI.
