Generation Z is all about “townsizing” their travels, preferring laid-back small towns over bustling big cities, new research has shown.
Gen Z, those born roughly between 1997 and 2012, is 89 percent more likely than average travelers to seek out a vacation offering “a small town Nancy Meyers [the writer of the Father of the Bride films and other movies set in small town-like settings] lifestyle vibe,” according to the 2025 travel trends report from Priceline, the travel booking website.
According to the report, 2025 will see travelers be inspired by “a desire for down-to-earth realism” and 67 percent of Gen Z are more likely to see vacations as a chance to “live out their small town fantasies.”
Christina Bennett, a travel expert at Priceline, told Newsweek that Gen Z is “embracing nostalgia of a simpler time,” from digital detoxing to “townsizing” in travel.
Preferring cozy small towns over crowded cities, this generation is seeking out vacations that evoke the “laid-back vibes of classic small town life,” Bennett said.
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The top trending small towns have included Three Rivers in California, Panguitch in Utah, Bretton Woods in New Hampshire, South Yarmouth in Massachusetts and Ouray in Colorado in the top five rankings, based on hotel searches made on Priceline between July 2023 and June 2024, compared to the same period in the year prior, for any travel dates.
Old Saybrook in Connecticut, North Wildwood in New Jersey, Carmel Valley in California, Gorham in New Hampshire and Forks in Washington state rounded out the second half of the top 10 trending small towns.
Gen Z is choosing cozier destinations as a way to indulge in “the charming, quaint moments depicted in some of their favorite ‘comfort’ movies and shows—think Gilmore Girls [an American television series set in a fictional small town in Connecticut] vibes,” Bennett noted.
Their preference for small-town America is unsurprising as the trend of over-tourism and seeking Instagram-worthy spots are dying out for Gen Z members in 2025, experts told Newsweek.
Gen Z travelers are not interested in the big bucket-list destinations and are shifting away from the millennial “fear of missing out” (FOMO) mindset, instead embracing the JOMO—the joy of missing out—approach to travel, Matthew Fox, the CEO of LateRooms.com, told Newsweek.
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Top Trending Small Towns in the U.S.
- Three Rivers, California
- Panguitch, Utah
- Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
- South Yarmouth, Massachusetts
- Ouray, Colorado
- Old Saybrook, Connecticut
- North Wildwood, New Jersey
- Carmel Valley, California
- Gorham, New Hampshire
- Forks, Washington state
Source: Priceline, based on hotel searches made on Priceline between July 2023 and June 2024, compared to the same period in the year prior, for any travel dates.
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