Television producer Sarah Ben-m'rad loves travelling overseas but the rising cost-of-living meant she sought out a holiday destination a little closer to home this year.
The 28-year-old and her boyfriend opted for a getaway to Port Stevens, north of Newcastle, outside the school holiday peak, spending days relaxing by a pool and visiting her father.
"We were just trying to find somewhere that was a lot more affordable to travel rather than looking overseas," she said.
"We're just doing smaller, cheaper trips rather than something that's sort of bigger and more expensive."
Ms Ben-m'rad is among the 83 per cent of Australians aged 25-44 who booked an autumn escape, according to a Tourism and Transport Forum survey.
The PureProfile survey of 1509 Australians found millennials are travelling more than anyone else, from mid-March to mid-May.
Experts point to pent-up demand for a getaway after the pandemic along with travel operators changing their offers so budget-conscious customers can make their money go further.
"It's not negotiable, this whole issue of being able to take time off and escape has become embedded in the culture," Tourism and Transport Forum chief executive Margy Osmond told AAP.
She believes young people who planned on travelling during the COVID-19 lockdown years are still making up for lost time despite the price of everything going up.
"We saw very early on an attitude about revenge travel, I think that led to a change in traveller behaviours, she said.
The survey found 40 per cent of Australians have put aside less than $2000 for their autumn trip and holidays within people's own state or territory are still the most popular.
"What it's doing is potentially meaning (people) might go for less time, they might spend a little bit less," Ms Osmond explained.
Despite that, millennials are still the most likely group to go overseas with 18 per cent booking a foreign trip.
Overall, almost one in six Australians are heading overseas, close to double the number who jetted off this time last year.
People are finally used to the idea of international travel after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic along with airfares coming down, according to Helloworld Travel chief operating officer Cinzia Burnes.
"People that were going domestic are now going overseas," Ms Burnes said.
"Before COVID-19 travel was seen as a discretionary expense and I think now it's become part of the household budget."
New Zealand is the top foreign destination with 14 per cent of international travellers heading across the Tasman, followed by 13 per cent going to Europe and 12 per cent to Japan.
It's the first year the United States hasn't made the top five for Australian travellers.
Many people are also taking advantage of Easter and ANZAC Day public holidays being less than a week apart.
The average length of a business trip booked through Corporate Traveller in late April is eight days, up from six in 2024.
The organisation's global managing director Tom Walley also believes there's been a "post-pandemic reset" with travellers prioritising value, flexibility and wellness.
