With the average age of marriage steadily increasing in England and Wales – with men marrying between 39.5 and 40.8 and women between 36.4 and 37.41 – Brits are more likely to say ‘I do’ to adventure before marriage.
Overall, over half (52%) of Brits consider themselves to be adventurous, with people defining this as trying new experiences (77%), travelling the world (55%), and being daring (53%). Those aged over 60s see adventure as means to get over their fears (66%).
The new research from HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) revealed that of all the generations, Gen Z claim to be the most adventurous (76%), despite believing they won’t peak until they reach 31.5 years old. And while they may consider themselves the most adventurous, they are encountering barriers to fulfilling their passion for adventure claiming to not have enough time (35%) or having anyone to be adventurous with (22%).
(Image: HX)
HX’s Tudor Morgan said: “There’s a desire to be more adventurous with our lifestyle choices – whether that’s where we choose to go on holiday or what we choose to eat.
“Not only does our research prove this with almost three-quarters (73%) of Brits saying that being adventurous makes life more exciting.
“So far this year, our booking data shows a 50% rise in bookings for our adventurous Northwest Passage sailings, and similar interest for some of our lesser explored destinations.”
When asked who inspires their adventurous spirit, those born after the 1980s see Bear Grylls (24%) as their favourite explorer, while those born pre-1980 Brits, put Indiana Jones (14%) as their favourite explorer, revealing the power of fictional explorers.
But it’s not just explorers inspiring the nation’s adventurous side. Friends play the biggest role in helping people to be adventurous (34%), and books are more likely to inspire travel than social media (28% vs 27%).
And when it comes to what adventurous activities they’d like to do, over a third (34%) want nothing more than to go whale watching with less than a third (31%) wishing to go on safari and more than a fifth (21%) seeking to travel to remote destinations.
Morgan continued: “Our expeditions are centred around exploration and adventure, but we also ensure mindful travel remains at our core. With over a third (34%) of Brits naming whale watching as the adventure they most want to experience, our work with global organisation Happywhale, which aims to grow and develop our understanding of whales and dolphins, whilst working to protect global populations, provides guests with an opportunity to fulfil this bucket list activity in a mindful and responsible way.”
To learn more about HX’s global expedition travel, with mindful exploration, adventure and science at its core, please visit travelHX.com.
***
