Gen Z brings new expectations to the workforce, and those expectations can challenge how Travel Managers think about program design. Learn more about Gen Z business travel and how to adapt, retain compliance, and keep this new cohort of Travelers happy.

You may think of Gen Z as young teens or college students, but there are probably more of this generation in your workforce than you realize. While definitions vary, Gen Z generally includes those born from the late 1990s through the early 2010s, which means many are in their mid-to-late 20s building careers and traveling for work.  

Gen Z brings a distinct set of experiences, values, communication preferences and technology habits into the workplace, and those factors can influence Gen Z business travel expectations.

As such, you may be wondering how you can support these new Travelers without sacrificing Duty of Care, cost control or program visibility.

Fortunately, there are things that you can adjust to respond to shifting expectations. However, be cautious to not rely on broad generational research alone as you make any decisions. Company-specific Traveler behavior, feedback and support data should guide your final program decisions.

Key Takeaways for Gen Z Business Travel Programs

• Gen Z often expects Business Travel to reflect the speed, transparency and convenience of consumer technology.
• Flexibility, wellbeing, sustainability and inclusion can influence how younger Travelers evaluate a program.
• Concise, timely communication is more effective than relying only on lengthy policy documents.
• Programs can offer greater independence while maintaining appropriate structure, oversight and support.
• Gen Z generally has strong feelings about the use of AI, which may warrant a closer look at how Travel Managers rely on AI within their programs. 

What Shaped the Gen Z Business Travelers’ Mindsets

There’s so much that sets Gen Z apart from the generations that came before it. 

As McKinsey & Company points out, these workers are the very first generation of “digital natives.” Only the oldest members of Gen Z may remember a time before smartphones, apps, and social media became part of everyday life.

Additionally, many in the Gen Z workforce came of working age during the COVID-19 pandemic, which meant that they developed a different view of what work was intended to look like. Their workplace expectations were shaped by the expansion of remote and hybrid work, and they quickly realized they valued flexibility, corporate wellbeing initiatives and work-life balance. 

Furthermore, this is a generation that by and large expects transparency from employers and service providers, including clear information about choices, policies and data use. 

How Communication and Technology Habits Affect Travel

All of the above may require future changes within your travel program. You may need to allow for a more flexible travel policy, a higher level of business travel personalization, more advanced business travel technology and other considerations. Gen Z is accustomed to digital self-service and personalized tech, and they expect those features to transfer over into their business travel experience. 

As such, Gen Z business travel may look like: 

• Mobile access across booking, trip management and support
• Concise policy messages delivered when decisions are being made
• Real-time updates for approvals, disruptions and itinerary changes
• Self-service for routine changes, cancellations and unused credits
• A direct path to personal support when an issue becomes complex
• Consistency across booking, payment, expense and servicing tools

It’s worth noting that, while Gen Z, on average, values technology that makes self-servicing and personalization easier, the generation does hold strong feelings against AI specifically. Numerous reports have found that Gen Z is increasingly critical of AI. A recent Gallup survey of Gen Z ages 14 to 29 found that 48% believe AI’s risks outweigh its benefits in the workplace, up from 37% the year before. Anger is rising too: 31% said AI makes them feel angry, up 9 points from 2025. Travel Managers may want to consider evaluating how their program incorporates AI and ways to balance Traveler preferences with AI’s potential benefits.  

How Values Translate into Travel Expectations

As already mentioned above, Gen Z brings certain values into the workplace. Due to their early careers or even college education being interrupted by a worldwide pandemic, many value flexibility. Greater generational attention to climate change also leads to greater attention to corporate sustainability and transparency. 

The following values may influence how your travel program operates:

• Flexibility: Travelers may want more policy-provided choices, as well as clear options for extending trips or adding personal time (Studies find Gen Z Travelers are more likely to extend business trips into personal travel, commonly called bleisure).
• Wellbeing: Itineraries that consider fatigue, recovery time and demanding schedules show Gen Z that their workplace values them beyond merely their output. 
• Sustainability: Visible information about lower-emissions options can make for more confident bookings.
• Inclusion: Support for accessibility, neurodiversity, dietary needs and personal circumstances show a higher level of care. 
• Transparency: Clear explanations of why options are approved, restricted or priced differently create not just transparency, but also trust.
• Experience: Personalization, loyalty benefits and opportunities to add personal value can make a trip feel more worthwhile

Where Program Design May Be Misaligned

So, given the above, where is your travel program potentially misaligned with Gen Z’s business travel needs? 

Do you have booking tools that are difficult to use on mobile devices? Policies that explain rules only in long documents rather than at the point of decision?

Is self-service limited or do payment and reimbursement processes create pressure for early-career Travelers?

Consider removing any hurdles that may make the business travel experience more of a burden than a benefit. Make rules clear for personal extensions, upgrades or split payments, and make sustainability, accessibility and wellbeing information easy to find.

What to Do Next 

Give your program a review to see how it meets Gen Z business travel needs. Test the booking and servicing experiences on mobile devices, examine your communication patterns and actively ask your Gen Z Travelers for their feedback. You may just be surprised at what they say about your booking process, self-service capabilities and support.

From there, you can make targeted changes, pilot them with a small Traveler group before expanding them program-wide. 

The good news? Many changes associated with Gen Z expectations can improve the experience for all your Travelers. Though generational insights should start the conversation, actual program data, Traveler behavior and feedback should determine what changes are made.

Connect changing Traveler expectations with a fit-to-size Business Travel program that provides modern technology, appropriate flexibility and personal support. Get in touch with JTB Business Travel today to learn how.

Northstar Travel Group is a JTB Corp company. JTB Business Travel may reference reporting or research published by Northstar; however, all commentary and recommendations in this article are independently developed.