9 travel habits Boomers refuse to give up that younger generations find completely outdated

My mother spent three hours on the phone with a hotel before our family trip last year.

She called to ask about room types, amenities, nearby restaurants, check-in procedures, and whether they had an iron. All information available on their website in about five minutes.

When I suggested she just look online, she said she preferred talking to a real person. She wanted to "get a feel" for the place.

I'm in my forties, so I remember pre-internet travel. I understand the instinct. But watching my parents plan trips versus how I travel with Marcus reveals a massive generational gap.

Boomers came of age when travel required preparation you can't even imagine now. You needed physical tickets, guidebooks weighing five pounds, and actual human interaction to book anything. Those habits die hard.

According to research from the Pew Research Center on technology adoption across generations, Boomers are significantly less likely than younger adults to rely on smartphones and apps for travel planning and navigation, preferring familiar analog methods even when digital alternatives are more efficient.

Here are nine travel habits Boomers cling to that younger people find baffling.

1) Printing every confirmation, ticket, and reservation

My father prints everything. Flight confirmations. Hotel bookings. Restaurant reservations. Directions. He has a physical folder an inch thick before any trip.

"What if your phone dies?" he asks. "What if you lose service?"

These are valid concerns. But younger travelers screenshot confirmations or save them offline. They don't carry reams of paper everywhere.

The printing habit comes from an era when you had to show physical tickets for everything. Electronic confirmations didn't exist. You needed paper proof or you weren't getting on that plane.

Now most places can look you up by name. Boarding passes live on your phone. Hotel confirmations are in your email. The paper is redundant.

But for Boomers, that paper feels like security. Letting go of it feels reckless, even when younger people are traveling just fine without filing cabinets in their carry-ons.

2) Using travel agents for everything

Travel agents still exist, and for complex international trips, they can be valuable. But Boomers use them for things younger people book themselves in minutes.

A weekend flight and hotel? Call the travel agent. A rental car? Travel agent. Restaurant recommendations? Travel agent.

I spent almost 20 years as a financial analyst, so I understand wanting expert guidance for major decisions. But younger generations see travel booking as straightforward. You compare prices online, read reviews, book directly. Done.

Boomers remember when travel agents were essential. You couldn't compare prices easily. You didn't have access to reviews. An agent's expertise actually mattered for basic trips.

Now that information is free and instant. But Boomers still value that human intermediary, even when they're paying fees for what amounts to Googling.

3) Arriving at airports absurdly early

My parents arrive at the airport three hours early for domestic flights.

Three hours. For a two-hour flight.

They'll sit at the gate reading magazines for two and a half hours because they're terrified of missing their flight.

This habit made sense when check-in took forever, security was unpredictable, and there was no TSA PreCheck or mobile boarding passes. Better safe than sorry.

But younger travelers have refined airport timing to an art. They check in online. They know TSA PreCheck gets them through in fifteen minutes. They arrive an hour before boarding, not three hours.

Studies on generational differences in risk tolerance show that Boomers generally prefer more buffer time and contingency planning, while younger generations are more comfortable with calculated risk and just-in-time approaches.

The early arrival habit drives younger travelers crazy when they're traveling with Boomer parents. All that waiting feels unnecessary.

4) Refusing to use GPS, insisting on physical maps

My father still buys paper maps for road trips.

He'll navigate while my mother drives, giving verbal directions from an atlas spread across his lap. Meanwhile, my phone could give turn-by-turn voice directions with live traffic updates.

"I don't trust those things," he says about GPS. "What if it takes you the wrong way?"

GPS isn't perfect. But it's significantly more efficient than paper maps, especially in unfamiliar areas. It reroutes around traffic. It shows you exactly where you are in real time.

Boomers learned navigation skills that are genuinely impressive. They can read maps, orient themselves, plan routes. But refusing to use better tools out of stubborn principle seems silly to younger travelers who can't imagine getting anywhere without their phones.

5) Bringing guidebooks instead of using apps

Physical guidebooks weigh down Boomer luggage everywhere they go.

Thick books about Paris, Rome, Barcelona. Books that cost $25 and are outdated the moment they're printed.

Meanwhile, younger travelers use apps with current reviews, updated hours, and real-time recommendations from other travelers who were there yesterday.

I take photography walks to notice details, and I sometimes use apps to learn about what I'm seeing. Historical context, architectural information, local stories. All current, all free, all accessible instantly.

When I experienced burnout at 36 and started traveling more mindfully, I appreciated how technology could enhance rather than detract from experiences. Boomers see phones as distractions. Younger people see them as tools.

The guidebook attachment is partly nostalgia. Those books represented expertise and discovery in an earlier era. But they're objectively less useful than digital alternatives now.

6) Over-planning every moment instead of staying flexible

Boomers create itineraries that account for every hour of every day.

8 AM breakfast. 9 AM museum. 11:30 AM lunch reservation. 1 PM walking tour. And on and on.

Younger travelers prefer loose structures. Maybe a few key things they want to see, but mostly leaving space for spontaneity. Following a recommendation from someone they meet. Stumbling onto something unexpected.

This reflects different travel philosophies. Boomers want to maximize their time and money. They've saved for this trip. They're going to see everything worth seeing.

Younger travelers value experience over checklist completion. They'd rather spend three hours at one amazing spot than rush through five mediocre ones.

When I met Marcus at a trail running event five years ago and we started traveling together, we had to negotiate this. He wanted plans. I wanted flexibility. We compromised.

According to research from the Journal of Travel Research on generational travel preferences, younger travelers prioritize authentic experiences and spontaneity while older travelers prioritize efficient itinerary planning and comprehensive sightseeing.

7) Taking minimal photos or insisting on professional cameras

Younger people document everything on their phones. Every meal, every view, every moment.

Boomers either take almost no photos ("I want to be present, not behind a camera") or they bring professional cameras with multiple lenses and refuse to use their phones.

Both approaches seem extreme to the middle ground where most people operate.

The minimal photo approach means Boomers often can't remember where they were or what they saw. The professional camera approach means lugging expensive, heavy equipment when phone cameras are remarkably good now.

I take regular digital detox weekends to reset my relationship with technology, so I understand both sides. But there's balance between being constantly on your phone and refusing to document anything.

8) Insisting on speaking English loudly when not understood

This one's painful to watch.

A Boomer trying to communicate in a non-English speaking country will often just repeat themselves in English, but LOUDER and SLOWER.

As if volume solves language barriers.

Younger travelers use translation apps. They learn basic phrases. They're comfortable with gestures and patience. They don't expect the world to speak English.

This habit reveals entitlement born from an era when Americans could travel expecting English everywhere. That was never actually okay, but it was more common.

Now younger travelers are more globally aware, more sensitive to cultural respect, and armed with technology that actually helps communication.

9) Calling ahead for reservations instead of using booking apps

My mother will call restaurants to make reservations rather than use OpenTable or Resy.

She'll call hotels directly instead of using booking platforms with reviews and price comparisons.

She doesn't trust that the online booking actually worked. She wants verbal confirmation from a human.

For my parents' generation, human interaction was how you confirmed things. A website saying "reservation confirmed" feels less real than a person saying "Yes, I have you in the system."

But younger people trust digital systems because they've been using them their whole lives. The confirmation email is proof enough. The app shows their booking. They don't need to call and verify.

This habit wastes Boomers' time and makes them seem technologically incompetent to younger travelers who've been booking their own travel since their teens.

Final thoughts

Here's the thing: neither approach is inherently wrong.

Boomers' travel habits come from real experience in a different world. They learned to travel when their methods were not just useful but necessary. Those habits provided security and structure.

And honestly? Some of their habits have merit. Arriving early prevents stress. Having paper backup when technology fails is smart. Speaking to humans can surface information websites miss.

But refusing to adapt at all, dismissing better tools out of stubbornness, that's what frustrates younger travelers.

When I left my six-figure finance job at 37 to write, I had to let go of habits and assumptions that no longer served me. Boomers could benefit from the same flexibility about travel.

Technology isn't the enemy. Apps aren't making travel worse. They're making it easier, more accessible, and more efficient.

The best approach is probably hybrid. Use digital tools for convenience while maintaining some analog backup. Be flexible but have a rough plan. Take photos but also be present. Use translation apps but learn basic phrases.

If you're a Boomer reading this, consider that younger travelers aren't being reckless. They've simply adapted to different tools. Give them a try. You might find they actually make travel more enjoyable.

And if you're a younger traveler frustrated with Boomer travel companions, remember they're operating from hard-won experience. Their habits kept them safe and successful for decades. Show some patience.

Travel should bring people together, not highlight generational divides. But understanding why those divides exist is the first step toward bridging them.

Maybe we can all learn from each other. Boomers can embrace helpful technology. Younger travelers can appreciate the value of preparation and backup plans.

Or we can just keep rolling our eyes at each other in airports. That works too.