Y2K travel is the nostalgia-fuelled holiday trend taking millennials back to the 90s and 00s

The Nostalgia Boom: How Y2K Travel Is Redefining the Modern Holiday

Poinews.com – A quiet but powerful shift is reshaping how millions of travellers plan their next getaway. Rather than chasing the latest influencer hotspot, a growing cohort of holidaymakers is turning their gaze backward — toward the aesthetics, sounds, and screen icons of the 1990s and early 2000s. GetYourGuide’s latest research puts a number on the phenomenon: 65% of millennials now choose destinations specifically to recapture the sensation of “simpler times.” The trend, branded “Y2K Travel,” has crossed generational lines as well, with 71% of both Gen Z and millennial respondents expressing interest in booking an experience rooted in ’90s or ’00s pop culture.

The study identified the most coveted element of a Y2K itinerary: stepping into a physical location made famous by a beloved film, television series, or song. Two-thirds of those polled named reliving a childhood memory at a pop-culture site as their top choice. Equally striking, roughly one in three participants voiced a desire to spend time in a setting free of smartphones and constant internet connectivity — a form of digital disconnection that, by most accounts, no longer exists in the modern world.

“Travel has always been about escape and right now, we see Millennials and Gen Z are using it to escape into the past, to a feeling instead of just a place,” said Anne Wallin, GetYourGuide’s trend forecaster-in-chief. “They’re stepping into spots they only watched from the sofa, replaying songs they once burned onto CDs, or spending a weekend where no one can reach them. Y2K Travel looks different for everyone, but it’s really about being present somewhere that once meant everything to you.”

GetYourGuide has responded by rolling out themed tours and experiences across its global destination portfolio. Below are several of the standout offerings currently drawing nostalgia-driven bookings.

Rome: Riding the Vespa in Lizzie McGuire’s Footsteps

For millennials who grew up watching Hilary Duff star as Lizzie McGuire between 2001 and 2004, the Italian capital holds a very specific emotional charge. The 2003 film The Lizzie McGuire Movie sent its American protagonist on a Roman holiday where she was mistaken for an Italian pop star, cruised the city on a Vespa, and delivered the now-legendary performance of “What Dreams Are Made Of” at the Colosseum.

In January, Rome-based guide Kerem Dikman launched a Lizzie McGuire-themed Vespa tour that has since become a booking magnet, with Y2K-enthusiast travellers already reserving slots for the following year.

“The tour is particularly popular with millennial women,” Kerem explained. “They imagined themselves on that Vespa as kids when they watched Hillary Duff. Now they’re making the dream come true.”

Participants weave through the Eternal City’s most recognisable landmarks astride a classic scooter, role-playing their way through the character’s peak ’00s moment.

New York City: Walking the Streets of Sex and the City

For a certain slice of elder millennials, Sex and the City transcended television to become a full cultural force that still reverberates today. GetYourGuide’s dedicated TV-locations tour threads guests through the show’s most iconic New York backdrops: the Tiffany & Co. flagship, the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, and Magnolia Bakery on Bleecker Street — the very spot where the characters indulged in banana pudding. The route also passes the exterior of Carrie Bradshaw’s celebrated West Village apartment.

Amsterdam: Stepping Inside Barbie’s Pink Universe

Barbie has long outgrown her status as a mere toy, embedding herself deeply in pop-culture history. In Amsterdam, GetYourGuide’s Barbie The Dream Experience walks visitors through 12 distinct zones that span six decades of the doll’s evolution, culminating in a full-scale recreation of the DreamHouse. The 90-minute walkthrough is, in essence, a memory-lane expedition — simply with considerably more pink.

Tokyo: Hunting Retro Games and Anime Relics

Japan’s capital remains the epicentre of the gaming and anime obsessions that defined ’90s and ’00s youth culture. GetYourGuide’s Nostalgic Anime and Retro Gaming Adventure plunges visitors into Akihabara, where they can scour shops for vintage titles before settling into an old-school arcade for a round of classic competition. The itinerary also incorporates a stop at a Maid Café, rounding out a fairly exhaustive immersion in Japan’s retro gaming subculture.

Manchester: A Crash Course in Madchester Sound

The city’s output of landmark British bands — from Oasis to The Stone Roses — makes it a natural pilgrimage site for anyone who remembers the Madchester era. GetYourGuide’s music-themed walking tour traces the landmarks behind that legendary scene, including the Hacienda and venues tied to several of the city’s most influential acts. Clocking in at 105 minutes, the route functions as a rapid-fire survey of Manchester’s musical heritage.