Guest Post: Gen-Z is redefining travel - and digital maps are the new passport

Grégoire Gimaret, EMEA head of product marketing at Snap Inc, lays out why

For Gen Z, travel often begins before take-off - on digital maps that connect their world. Today’s “Zoomers” are more independent, more spontaneous, and more digitally connected than any generation before them - and the latest research by Arival indicates they’re big on solo travel.

Young people share their experiences online and this is reshaping how the travel industry connects with them. With the desire for exploration growing, there is an ongoing opportunity for the travel industry to meet young people, literally, where they are. 

Discovery is the start 

In the past, travel inspiration might have come from a glossy magazine or a friend’s recommendation. Today, it happens in real time, on digital platforms. On Snapchat, for instance, millions of young people share their experiences daily - from local pastry spots to hidden beaches. For example, through the Snap Map, which currently has 400 million users, sharing what’s happening around them and pinning them to real-world locations, forming a living, social window into local culture powered by the people experiencing it.

Gen Z are not just being inspired by what they see online -they are creating it, fuelling loops of inspiration between friends, brands and influencers. They explore the world through the lens of their peers, and digital maps have become their compass. Through maps and location tags, users can see what’s happening anywhere on the globe in real time, from concerts to cafés, making it one of the world’s most dynamic windows into local culture. It combines travel research, recommendation, and exploration all in one.

Plan, map, and share

Unlike the planning habits of their parents who flipped through guidebooks or scrolled travel agency sites, Gen Z plan trips collaboratively and socially. They build itineraries through shared content, pinned locations, and close friend messaging. 

Travel decisions today are social by design. They’re sparked in group chats, shared on maps, and validated by seeing where friends have been. That visibility - seeing a friend’s tag on the map - turns curiosity into intent. And this helps people see beyond the traditional tourist traps to find more undiscovered gems, those that feel personal, local, and real.

For travel brands, there is an opportunity here to show up in the same digital environments where plans are born. The most powerful marketing doesn’t interrupt the journey - it becomes part of the map itself, helping travellers uncover experiences they’ll want to share.

AI assists, but people inspire

What’s more is that the dawn of the AI age dovetails perfectly with the rise in use of maps technology. Solo travel is more accessible and less intimidating thanks to the convenience of AI whether that’s for instant itinerary generation to real-time translation. When the two tools, which are both becoming second nature for young people, are used in tandem they can develop deeply unique experiences for the user. 

A traveller can now use AI to plan a solo weekend in Barcelona in a matter of seconds, and then compare it with their digital maps to see which local hotspots are buzzing or what events are happening. With many digital platforms even offering their own AI chatbot within the same app where users are accessing maps, it’s easier than ever to get further information or local suggestions delivered conversationally.

AI might help you plan, but people make the journey memorable. That’s why the blend of human experience and digital intelligence is so powerful - AI curates options, while social maps bring them to life through real people’s stories.

The atlas of tomorrow

Maps have always been about navigation, but today, they’re about connecting us to the world as it unfolds. For the next generation of explorers, the most inspiring journeys begin where their friends have already pinned their memories. For brands in this sector, that means the path to relevance isn’t through pushing ready-made holidays but powering discovery. The brands that will win with Gen Z are those that show up at the right time within the discovery phase and help bring to life the dream holiday that is currently just in its planning stages. 

For the travel industry, the opportunity is clear: don’t just advertise the destination - help people discover it on the map.