More than one in five (21%) Gen Z travellers say they have been disappointed by a destination because it looked different from social media...
while nearly one in four (24%) Gen Z (18 to 29-year-olds) and more than one in four (28%) Millennials (30 to 45-year-olds) say they prefer honest, unfiltered travel content from brands and influencers, suggesting authenticity is replacing the picture-perfect holiday, according to new research¹ among UK holidaymakers by Opinium for specialist travel insurance provider Multitrip.com.
However, Gen Z are consistently the generation most likely to feel pressure for their holidays to look good online. One in five (20%) Gen Z say they have felt stressed trying to take the perfect holiday photos for social media, compared with 10% of Millennials. 13% of Gen Z also admit they have felt pressure to make their holiday look better online than it really was, and for more than one in ten (11%) the pressure to post has actually reduced their enjoyment of a holiday.
Almost one in four (24%) Gen Z admit asking friends or partners to take multiple photos until they get the perfect shot. Around one in eight (12%) say they have edited, filtered or staged photos to make a trip look more glamorous, while 11% admit exaggerating how good their holiday was on social media.
Despite this, social media still influences travel decisions, with 17% of Gen Z saying they have booked an activity or experience purely because it looked good online.
Christian Bennett at Multitrip.com said: "Many younger travellers say they want more honest, authentic travel content as destinations don’t always live up to what they’ve seen online, yet they are also the most likely to feel pressure to share carefully curated posts of their own trips. Social media can be a great source of travel inspiration, but the best holidays are about enjoying the moment, not chasing the perfect post."
"While most holidays go smoothly, unexpected problems can happen. That’s why it’s important not to overlook travel insurance. It provides valuable financial protection if something goes wrong, from medical emergencies and cancellations to lost baggage.”
Multitrip.com offers a range of policies to suit different needs and budgets. To get a quote, visit www.multitrip.com.
Find out more findings from recent surveys on UK holidaymakers on our blog, including articles such as 'Most Brits Buy Travel Insurance Without Checking What is Covered'.
Sources
1 Opinium online survey conducted with 2,000 nationally representative UK adults from 24-27 Feb 2026, of which 1,016 holiday abroad at least once a year.
