So what do Generation Y do and like in travel?

A recent feature in The Herald Sun says that Gen Y are hip, smart-talking, brash and sometimes seem to suffer from an overdose of self esteem and if there’s a generalisation to be made about young Generation Y people, it’s that they don’t like waiting.

It goes on to say, with a BlackBerry in one hand, half-caf latte in the other and an iPod-plugged earphones surgically attached to ears, they are ambitious, demanding and apparently born to rule………right now!

They’re between 17 and 28 years old and comprise the most influential generational group since the baby boomers and within a few years, Generation Y [also known as the Internet Generation, Echo Boomers, iGeneration, the MyPod Generation and The Millennials] is tipped to inspire great change across social, political and business landscapes.

There are about 4.5 million Gen Y Australians, born between 1979 and 1990 and interstingly; slightly more of them are men and what we need to understand is that this generation that hasn’t yet hit 30 is different to any that came before, because they grew up with mobile phones, the internet, pay TV, bottled water, laptops and Eminem in a world of AIDS, terrorism and addiction to crack and ice.

Technology has played a really important part in empowering them, with about three-quarters of Gen Ys regularly using the internet, they are the most educated-minded generation in history and are more optimistic about life and work than their predecessors, Generation X.

They are generally socially aware, tolerant and accepting of cultural differences and are the first generation to have been in the sights of advertisers while in the womb, but they are cynical of marketers because they have been exposed to TV and mass marketing since they were born.

They are technically savvy, with as toddlers they learned to flip TV channels via remote control and played with computer graphics in primary school, so it is no wonder that almost three-quarters of all SMS messages are sent by Gen Ys.

They are the most technology-fluent, multi-tasking, adaptable and team-oriented group in history and companies that tap the Generation Y market and draw down its best and brightest,  just as the boomers begin to retire, are in for sweet economic times, or so the business experts say.

The only problem might be their impatience with the old ways, because they want instant gratification, think email is snail mail and want to be chief executive of the company by 25, oh yes and, of course, all in no more than 35 hours a week.

What they lack in experience, they believe they make up in enthusiasm and they will leave jobs quickly if the boss is nasty, the hours inflexible or the pay unsatisfactory, with almost half of baby boomers believing they should stay in a job with the one employer for at least five years, but only a quarter of Gen Ys would consider such a long stay.

Marketing guru Penny Burke, author of Forced Focus, says employers find Gen Ys “intensely stimulating and intensely frustrating”, adding, “To many people, they have low attention spans and high expectations…………..and if Gen Ys are not happy, they will just look for another job.”

Yet Burke says Gen Ys have the world in their hands, saying Gen Y workers fall into two distinct groups. They either want their work to “make a difference” or feel work “makes no difference” at all, adding that many Gen Ys are “excitable, stimulated, technically savvy and impatient”.

“They grew up in the world of the five-minute abs workout, two-minute noodles and one-minute manager — and they probably think they’re all too slow nowadays.”

A recent APM Training Institute survey found most workers aged 18 to 29 expected travel opportunities, further training and social events as part of their employment packages, plus it found many Gen Y workers also expected cash bonuses, health insurance and rostered days off.

They believe in change, many don’t expect to stay in one job or even one career for long, yet for all that, they are the ideal employees for youth-oriented companies.

Australia’s second biggest brewer, Lion Nathan, has a marketing approach developed specifically for Gen Ys, with the company saying the new generation has “very high expectations” of the way they are marketed to and expects beer advertising to amuse and entertain them as well as involve them.

Virgin Mobile led the charge when it enlisted a group of women aged 15 to 25 to develop a more effective marketing strategy, the young women telling  them that the company’s teen strategy was all wrong, with the company listening and changing direction.

Gen Ys often put work last on their list of priorities — way behind friends, family and, of course, themselves and interestingly, they are generally more interested in spirituality than their baby boomer parents, but they are less likely to be involved in mainstream religions, being the most unchurched generation in history, yet a study by Monash University, the Australian Catholic University and the Christian Research Association last year, found 48 per cent of Gen Y participants believed in a god, 20 per cent did not and 32 per cent were unsure.

Gen Ys are not shy about flaunting personal details about their lives on YouTube and MySpace, they create their own websites, make their own CDs and DVDs and are cynical of packaged messages.

They are not motivated by the same pressures that faced their parents, with 4 out of 10 Australian Gen Ys not believing they will own a house and that doesn’t seem to worry them, because they are great consumers, like to eat out and spend on luxury items, with holidays high on the list, along with sound equipment, clothes and trinkets.

Gen Ys also have consumer power, not just with their own disposable income (estimated by YouthScan at $118 per week for Gen Y teens), but they wield significant influence over their baby boomer parents’ spending habits and having grown up in a media saturated, brand-conscious world, they respond differently to advertising, more likely to follow the advice of their peers than that of their parents or advertisers.

But their desire to consume can cause trouble, with of the record 3.7 million new credit-card applications last year, almost a third were from those aged 18 to 27 and a third of people failing to pay their bills are Gen Ys, says Veda Advantage, Australia’s biggest consumer credit check company, revealing that a surprising number of children of baby boomers default on credit payments soon after signing contracts, because they quickly borrow big to snap up mobiles phones and/or take overseas holidays.

So, what are GenYs looking for on holiday and where do they like to go on holiday?

As a boomer I have no idea, so what better than recruit a few Gen Yers and ask them where they would like to go in Australia for a few days…..and guess where they chose?

…………………The Gold Coast……………..and that is where TravelMole sent them with the cooperation and generosity of Vibe Hotels, Red Spot Car Rental, Dreamworld and Wet’n’Wild.

So ,this week The Mole  GenY  team of Natalie Chapman, William Borglund and [you have to keep it in the family!] Hannah Alwyn-Jones, all archetypal Gen Yers will be reporting on location from The Gold Coast over the next few days.

So if you want to find out what makes Gen Yers tick in travel and especially on the Gold Coast, then check out TravelMole this week.

A Gen Y Report by The Mole