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Africa and Volunteering Are Hot Trends for Teen Travelers

teenvolunteer - Africa and Volunteering Are Hot Trends for Teen Travelers
photo courtesy of cambodia4kidsorg

Family Travel Forum Consulting (FTFc) released their report of teen travel trends based on the submissions of 5,700 teens, ages 13-18, who entered their Teen Travel Writing Scholarship.  The findings provide insight on what we can expect from this generation of younger travelers. Today’s teens are undoubtedly more global-minded and are willing to travel far from home. They are service-oriented and are keen on exploring distant cultures.

— 48% of teen applicants have traveled outside the United States by their 18th birthday

— Africa-Middle East saw the largest increase in teen travel — 48%

— 8 out of 10 teens seeking cultural enrichment joined study abroad programs

— consistent with a rising trend in volunteer vacations among all age groups, volunteer travel was up 20% over last year

— Two-thirds of teen participants in church and volunteer programs served outside the U.S.

  • 44% volunteered in the Caribbean, Mexico, and South America
  • Nearly 11% volunteered in Africa or the Middle East.

— Hot destinations for 2009 included Colorado, Germany, and Haiti, while New Orleans’ popularity dropped.

Today’s teen travelers, at least based on this sampling, have the hallmarks of a global citizen.

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