{"id":5977,"date":"2026-10-29T17:06:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T21:06:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/?p=5977"},"modified":"2026-10-29T17:06:43","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T21:06:43","slug":"how-gen-z-is-turning-wellness-into-an-adventure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ustoa.com\/blog\/how-gen-z-is-turning-wellness-into-an-adventure\/","title":{"rendered":"How Gen Z Is Turning Wellness Into an Adventure\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How Gen Z Is Turning Wellness Into an Adventure<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Toni Ambler, Chief Customer Officer, Contiki<\/strong>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Gen Z, wellness is no longer something squeezed into the day out of obligation; increasingly, it\u2019s becoming a hobby, a social outlet and a way to find community. Run clubs and group walks are taking the place of some traditional nights out, friendships are forming through fitness classes and yoga studios, and a Saturday morning hike can serve the same purpose a bar crawl once did – bringing people together around a shared experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that shift is starting to influence how young people travel. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Contiki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In Contiki\u2019s 2025 Voice of a Generation<\/em> survey, more than half of respondents said maintaining a wellness routine or taking part in wellness activities on vacation was important to them. The activities they mentioned weren\u2019t elaborate: walking, hiking, practicing yoga, running and finding time to exercise – all things that can easily become part of experiencing a new place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That broader definition of wellness is also changing what adventure travel looks like. It no longer has to mean a highly technical expedition or a trip built entirely around pushing yourself to the limit. For some travelers, adventure might be a challenging multi-day trek; for others, rafting for the first time or cycling through a destination. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Contiki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

What connects those experiences is the opportunity to move, try something new and share the experience with other people.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

More than 80% of survey respondents said they would consider some type of active trip, and we\u2019ve seen that interest reflected in how young travelers talk to us about where they want to go and what they want to do when they get there. It\u2019s one of the reasons we\u2019re introducing OUTDOORS, one of Contiki\u2019s new Travel Styles, for travelers who want to experience a destination by getting out into it. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Contiki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Costa Rica is a great example of why this way of traveling resonates. You can move from ziplining through Monteverde\u2019s cloud forest to surfing in Jac\u00f3 and spotting wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park. The activity isn\u2019t separate from the destination; it becomes one of the ways you understand it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same idea takes very different forms around the world. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Contiki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

In Patagonia, that might mean hiking alongside glaciers and blue lagoons, with opportunities to explore by kayak or horseback. Active New Zealand combines hiking, biking and time on the water, while in Europe, Active Alps brings together mountain trails and whitewater rafting across Austria and Switzerland, and Ski Austria centers the experience around time on the slopes.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intensity varies, and that\u2019s important. There shouldn\u2019t be one definition of what being \u201cactive\u201d on vacation looks like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some travelers are also looking for the satisfaction of completing an iconic trek from beginning to end. Two new Contiki hiking trips launching for 2027 reflect that. In the Italian Dolomites, groups of up to 12 will follow the Alta Via 1, spending their days on high-altitude trails and their nights in remote mountain rifugios. On the Camino de Santiago, travelers will walk from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela through Galician towns and forest paths, collecting stamps in their Pilgrim Passports along the way. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Contiki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

There\u2019s something powerful about reaching a destination under your own steam. But just as important is what happens between the starting point and finish line: the encouragement from the person walking beside you, the conversations you have along the trail and the shared sense of achievement you share at the end of the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adventure travel has always been about engaging more deeply with a destination, but Gen Z\u2019s rising interest in wellness is helping shape its next chapter. Rather than treating movement as something to fit around a vacation, young travelers are increasingly making it part of how they experience one. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Photo credit: Contiki<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

And perhaps that is where wellness and adventure now meet: not in chasing perfection or performance, but in getting outside, challenging yourself, trying something unfamiliar and finding other people to experience it with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a generation that values both wellbeing and connection, that feels like a very natural next chapter for travel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Toni Ambler is Chief Customer Officer of Contiki, the youth travel company for 18- to 35-year-olds. She leads Contiki\u2019s global customer strategy across brand, marketing and experience, using insight from young travelers to shape how the business evolves and stays relevant to the next generation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About Contiki<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contiki has been bringing 18- to 35-year-olds together to experience the world since 1962. We take care of the details – from stays and transport to the logistics in between – so travelers can focus on the places, people and moments that make the trip. Expect big experiences, local discoveries and a group of people your own age to share it all with. However you want to travel, we make it easier to get out there, try something new and go wander. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How Gen Z Is Turning Wellness Into an Adventure\u00a0 By Toni Ambler, Chief Customer Officer, Contiki\u00a0 For Gen Z, wellness is no longer something squeezed into the day out of obligation; increasingly, it\u2019s becoming a hobby, a social outlet and a way to find community. 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