The relationship between Gen Z, travel trends, and emotional liminality

Fluidity is much more than a buzzword used to represent Gen Z; in a societal context marked by political polarization, societal upheaval, economic turbulence, and geopolitical tension, the ability to flex and flow is a legitimate necessity for navigating the day to day. However, fluidity is also more than an individual coping skill–it has the potential to be a positive mindset that unlocks incredible self-exploration and growth through liminality. While this embracing of fluidity may not be an experience exclusive to Gen Z, this generation does represent a cohort of individuals who are especially comfortable exploring themselves through living in a constant state of fluid liminality. An openness to different home environments, personal aesthetics, identities, relationship statuses, careers, etc. allows this audience to discover aspects of themselves they may not have otherwise explored.

Gen Z’s preference toward the dynamic over the static is evidenced in not only their feelings toward their identities and daily lives, but also in the ways they consciously invest their time and money. Travel is a key tool this cohort uses to trigger self-exploration and development. Leaving all routines, expectations, and responsibilities behind for a few days gives these individuals the opportunity to try new things. We can think about the experience of traveling as a kind of intentional entry into liminality. Liminality is a state of transition between one stage and the next, especially between major stages in one's life or during a rite of passage. Oftentimes liminality is associated with discomfort, as transition can feel like unwelcome growing pains. However, younger audiences have recognized that transition can actually be relieving if it represents an embracing of a positive next phase. Some people may plan trips with a clear intention of a way in which they want to transition (taking more time to rest; being more in-tune with one’s surroundings; learning a new language or skill; embracing the value of alone time, etc.). Others may plan a trip without a clear intention but rather with full openness to the experience knowing they will encounter some kind of unforeseen positive growth. In any case, embracing liminality through travel is about setting specific time for personal transition, self-exploration, and growth.

Vacations are a perfect excuse for our cohort to intentionally focus on an area of themselves that may be under-exercised in their regular life. Desk-job-working adrenaline junkies may finally get the chance to spike their energy by going skydiving in a stunning locale; busy workaholics may plan a solo beach vacation simply to get through that stack of books that’s been sitting on their nightstand for eight months; routine-oriented partners and parents may escape the demands of their rigid schedules by spending a week in an unexplored city doing everything spontaneously. Travel grants individuals the chance to break from their norms and invest in an under-explored self, and the self-discoveries uncovered during these travels can inspire long-lasting impacts (priority shifts, refreshed routines, decisions to move or change jobs, clarity around a relationship, etc.). In this way, travel to a destination may not really be about exploring the destination at all; rather, travel is about the self you get to explore–and discover–when away from home.

Liminality’s connection to travel may feel a bit abstract, but we actually consistently see it referenced in culture by everyday people. The conversation on TikTok about airports is a perfect example of this. Some people explicitly label airports as liminal spaces, recognizing their literal role as a space for people to transition from one place to another, and also their more conceptual role as a space in which people transition from real life to “vacation mode.” This perception is made clear in the conversation about airports as places to both see and be seen. People talk about feeling like the “main character” in airports because they can project an aspirational self to the public without fear of consequences, since they likely won’t see any of these people again. With so many main characters around, airports are perfect places for people watching, and many individuals enjoy airports as a place to see and be inspired by others. The opportunity airports offer to travelers is the ability to explore what an alternative or evolved self might look like, and to potentially even trigger the start of that transition prior to even arriving at a destination.

Liminality as it relates to travel is also talked about on social media in terms of how people’s perceptions of themselves change after a trip. The most obvious example of this is the “abroad changed me” memes, in which people mock the way study-abroad students describe their more expansive outlooks on themselves and the world after a semester in another country. Another example might be the travel content where people talk about missing a place, but more than that, missing the person they were in that place. This kind of content reveals a truth about travel, which is that being in a different environment actually can unlock a different you. In this way, the trip itself can represent and facilitate the transition between the old you and the new you.

The mental shift that young audiences describe experiencing when they travel is evidence of the emotional liminality that travel triggers. Whether people intentionally pursue this transitional experience or stumble upon it, their time away from their typical routines and environments has both short and long-term impacts on their perception and experience of their evolving identities.