The new Gen Z travel trend? Holidaying with an influencer
So when Thompson advertised a £1,410 group trip on her Instagram page in November 2023, where fans could join her and her boyfriend, Tom, in Bali, it felt like a no-brainer for Young to sign up: 'I was watching her videos and I thought I needed to get away.' On the tour Young was joined by 15 other Thompson followers, all ready and eager to jet across the world to meet their hero. While there, they did activities including snorkelling, tours of sacred monkey forests and temples — with photo opportunities aplenty, of course.
Influencer-led trips like Thompson's are taking the travel industry by storm. Supported by companies such as TrovaTrip and Plotpackers, influencers are taking to their social media feeds to sell spots on holidays — with the unique catch that they'll be part of the ticket price too.
Booking a holiday once meant flicking through travel brochures or heading down to a travel agent's office for advice. But for Gen Zers like me, social media is our guide. TikTok and Instagram are overflowing with detailed itineraries and travel hacks, so much so that 11 per cent of the world's adult population say they follow travel influencers. 'It is their new form of research,' says Chloe Combi, author of Generation Z: Their Voices, Their Lives. '[Social media] influences all of their decisions, from buying a lipstick to booking a holiday.'
• I booked a trip via an Instagram influencer — here's what happened
But in 2025 the influencer travel takeover doesn't stop at recommendations. Thompson decided to host her first group trip to Thailand two years ago after meeting a scuba diving instructor who told her he had featured in the itineraries of similar tours. She had already seen other influencers selling excursions on social media but never looked into leading one herself. 'Then I thought, OK, maybe this is something that could work,' she says. 'I love travelling, I love backpacking. I thought I might be able to help other people have the same experience.'
Since 2023 Thompson has partnered with various companies to host four international trips. The companies provide the technology that allows influencers to share booking links on their social media profiles — they are usually paid commission from each person who signs up. '[The company] basically know everything about the travel industry and I am advertising the trip to sell it,' Thompson says. 'The most I've earned from a trip is probably four and a half thousand pounds.'
But are these trips value for money for the people buying them? 'Of course I'm biased, I'm going to say yes,' says Lauren Schneider, a co-founder of TrovaTrip. A six-day trip to Costa Rica in June, hosted by the influencer Devorah Story, cost $2,495 excluding flights, while Schneider admits that some of Trova's excursions have sold for more than $10,000.
However, Combi gives a word of warning: 'To any young people thinking about spending a lot of money on these trips, I'd suggest approaching cautiously. My concern would be the practical, emotional and social organisation.'
• How Bali became the influencer hotspot
Grace Rhiannon, 19, went on a trip to Bali organised by TruTravels and hosted by the influencer @travelwith.zo last year, which she describes as being content-heavy. 'Even though [Zoe] was very much involved in the activities, she was trying to make content,' Rhiannon says. 'We expected that it was going to be a holiday for her as well, but ultimately it is a job, isn't it?'
Rhiannon didn't mind the stream of photos: 'Most of the stuff on my Instagram is from that trip,' she says. However, shyer members of her group tour opted out of appearing in the videos and photoshoots. 'If you're going on an influencer trip, you should probably know that there might be a lot of content.'
From Young's perspective, going on Thompson's Bali trip was 'one of the best things' she has done. And for many young women wanting to travel solo, these group tours offer a safe way of exploring the world. 'When you're in a group, no matter who they are, you do feel a bit safer,' she says.
So what's the benefit of having an influencer at the helm? 'They can bring a lot of energy to the group, they can convince you to travel more,' says Louise Truman, the founder of Plotpackers. As part of Thompson's Bali tour, she hosted what she calls an ice-breaker welcoming meal. 'I do a bit of chat at the beginning about the week, what I'm doing there, and then we'll quite often play a get-to-know-you game like two truths and a lie,' she says. Young agrees that this was a great way of making everyone feel comfortable: 'We were all nervous to meet everyone but that went away the more time we spent together.'
And finding a like-minded group — who felt like 'genuine friends' by the end — was one reason Young booked the trip. But it's not the same for the influencer. 'Those people know a little bit about me, but I don't know anything about them, which can be a little bit bizarre,' Thompson admits. 'I felt like I really should be on my A-game all the time.' Still, Young was certainly convinced by her favourite influencer: 'She is just like she is in her videos.'
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