How the Search for Connection is Quietly Redefining Consumer Spending

Jan de Vries · 2026-08-28

Let's be honest, we all feel it. A kind of digital static in the air, right? But here's something fascinating. In the middle of all that, people are moving. A lot. Travel isn't just back, it's booming in a way that feels different. We're looking at a global industry worth over $11 trillion, and the demand? It's stubbornly high, even when budgets get tight. Think about that. According to Skift's 2026 State of Travel Report, a whopping 88% of people still plan to travel this year. For most of us, it's not a luxury anymore—it's a non-negotiable part of life. Between 67% and 89% of travelers across major markets call it "extremely" or "very important." You've seen the headlines. The World Cup brought waves of visitors to North America, and "Euro summer" is a term everyone knows now. This isn't just a rebound. It's a full-blown renaissance, and it's hinting at a much bigger shift in what we value as consumers. ### So, Why Is Everyone Suddenly a Traveler? It's a simple question with a deep answer. We travel because we're wired to connect. Always have been. Sharing a new place, navigating a challenge together, or just being somewhere unfamiliar—these things pull people closer in a way a video call never can. Here's the thing. As our screens eat up more of our day and old-school community spots fade, we're getting desperate for real-world links. We're actively hunting for experiences that lead to actual relationships. And for founders and startups, that's a massive signal. It's a green light to build things around our fundamental need to belong. For years, the playbook was convenience first, then personalization. Don't get me wrong, those are still huge. But they're making room for a new player: the social layer. People don't just want stuff delivered; they want to be brought together. And they'll open their wallets for it. The real opportunity? Start thinking of community as your retention engine. It's the glue that keeps customers coming back long after they've bought your product. It creates a flywheel: - Participation leads to relationships. - Those relationships lead to repeat participation. - And that repeat participation turns into genuine advocacy. Suddenly, designing the experience *around* the product is the most important feature you can build. ### The Loneliness Factor We Can't Ignore This makes perfect sense when you look at the numbers. The World Health Organization says one in six people worldwide feels lonely, with young adults hit especially hard. We're all feeling that digital fatigue, looking for a way out of the constant scroll that often fuels the loneliness in the first place. This creates a wide-open space for smart businesses. The winners will be those that offer not just a service, but a social infrastructure—a reason to connect IRL. ### Travel Shows Us How It's Done Travel is the perfect case study. Its crazy-fast comeback proved the demand was always there, waiting. But it also forced the industry to ask a new question: what do travelers *really* want now? The destination still matters, sure. But the *experience* of getting there, of who you're with and what you feel, is becoming just as important. Travelers are chasing self-discovery, connection, and a sense of belonging. Skift's report backs this up—43% of travelers say experiences are the most critical part of the trip. We're not just asking "where should I go?" anymore. We're asking "*why* am I going?" And more often than not, the answer is about finding a connection. The money behind this is staggering. McKinsey pegs the global market for travel experiences at over $3 trillion. Of that, a huge chunk—between $250 billion and $310 billion—is spent specifically on paid, organized experiences. ### The Offline Pivot of the Experience Economy This whole trend sits on the shoulders of the "experience economy," an idea from the late 90s where the experience itself is the product. The twist today? The value of that experience is overwhelmingly social. Run clubs, supper clubs, niche hobby groups—they're the new town squares. Even companies born digital, like Tinder with its 100 billion matches, are experimenting with real-world events. The frontier isn't online anymore; it's in the spaces where we can look each other in the eye, share a meal, or tackle something new together. That's where the next wave of consumer value is being built.