Twenty-seven per cent of students say a road trip though America is their most desired Yolo (You only live once) travel experience, followed by a safari in Africa (13 per cent) and a skydive over New Zealand (10 per cent).
New research into student travel habits by Endsleigh, the number one student gadget insurance provider, has revealed the top Yolo travel experiences among students.
With all the pressures of student life, it’s no wonder that 43 per cent of students want to travel to have a break from work or study and 73 per cent are planning to do so in the next 12 months.
Last August, ABTA released its ‘top 10 gap year destinations’ based on bookings, none of which included European countries.
However, Endsleigh’s research this year has found that Europe is the most popular continent for backpacking, with 50 per cent of respondents planning such a trip, highlighting a potential new trend in student travel.
Asia was close behind in popularity, with 47 per cent of students planning to go backpacking to the continent.
Individually, Thailand (43 per cent) was the most popular country for backpacking, followed by Italy (33 per cent) and then France (32 per cent), but, out of the top 10 countries, five were European.
Aside from backpacking, Europe also proved popular as a holiday destination among respondents. Just one of the countries in the top 10 wasn’t in Europe – the US (14 per cent) in fifth place.
Endsleigh’s research shows that staying connected abroad ranks highly with students, with a sizeable 90 per cent taking smartphones abroad and more than half (51 per cent) admitting it’s important to have Wi-Fi access while abroad.
Despite being cash-strapped, the average student carries €1,268 of gadgets abroad
Sixty-six per cent of students also admit to updating their Facebook status while on holiday or travelling, with 35 per cent doing so several times a week.
Interestingly, Instagram is more widely used abroad than Facebook, with 40 per cent posting to Instagram several times a week while away.
It seems smartphones alone aren’t enough to keep students connected, as 28 per cent of respondents plan to take a tablet abroad and 21 per cent a laptop.
Despite being cash-strapped, the average student carries €1,268 of gadgets abroad. Furthermore, 49 per cent do not have a phone/gadget insurance policy to cover them abroad, so theft, loss or damage could end up being an unexpected expense.
Sara Newell, Student Markets manager at Endsleigh, said: “Our research really shows that students value a good work-life balance; 43 per cent want to travel to have a career or study break and they are willing to work hard to do so. Fifteen per cent of the students we spoke to are even happy to work from home or while travelling to fund their trip!
“Phones and gadgets are some of the most valuable items in your luggage, both in terms of money and of memories, so it’s important to take out an insurance policy that sufficiently covers them. It’s also worth setting up backups like iCloud and Google Drive before you head off to safeguard all your photos and videos if the worst happens!
“Also remember to literally switch off when possible and soak up the new cultures and experiences all around you. Looking at everything on a little screen could mean you miss a natural wonder that’s right under your nose!”
For more insights into student travel habits, download the full research report from https://www.endsleigh.co.uk/personal/gadget/student-travel-habits-research/ .