Gen Z Travelers are Booking Global Trips Just to Taste the Snacks

Travel isn’t just about landmarks anymore. Today, it is more about flavor. More and more people are hopping on planes with one goal: to taste the snacks. Not the fine dining. Not the five-star restaurants. We are talking chips, cookies, candies, and instant noodles.

This is “Snack Tourism,” and it is exploding. Tourists aren’t just grabbing a KitKat at the airport. They are planning whole itineraries around cult-favorite treats.

What Is ‘Snack Tourism’?

Snack Tourism means choosing where to travel based on what snacks you can eat there. Forget long museum lines and guided tours. These travelers are here for spice-dusted chips, seaweed crackers, and limited-edition candy bars.

Helena / Pexels / Buying a snack in a tiny corner store, then eating it on a park bench, tells you more about a place than a museum plaque ever could.

It tastes like home to someone else, and that is what makes it special.

Younger travelers are all in. They care about food, and they care about stories. Local snacks offer both. According to Skyscanner, nearly 60% of Millennials choose destinations based on snacks.

Some even budget for it. Over 70% of Millennials set aside money just for snack hauls. And Gen Z? They are skipping the Eiffel Tower and hunting down French pastries instead. Cultural experiences, to them, live on grocery shelves.

How Snacks Are Changing the Way We Travel?

Snack tourism is reshaping the travel industry. New events, like London’s “Skysnacker Lounge,” bring together thousands of global snacks in one room. It is like a food court, but for collectors.

Souvenir shops are feeling the shift. Instead of buying keychains, tourists are flooding local markets and corner stores. They are spending money where locals shop, putting tourist dollars straight into the hands of small businesses.

Even luggage habits are changing. Travelers are packing light, leaving space in their bags for snacks. One study showed that over half of Americans would leave room just for snacks. Some even buy an extra suitcase.

Le / Unsplash / Japan’s KitKats come in flavors like wasabi, matcha, or even baked sweet potato. South Korea’s spicy Samyang ramen is a suitcase regular.

And, of course, India’s Lays Magic Masala chips are hot-ticket items.

Europe leans classic. France gives us elegant Petit Écolier biscuits and chewy Carambar candies. Italy has Baci, those iconic hazelnut chocolates wrapped with love notes. You can’t eat just one.

In Australia, Tim Tams are more than a cookie. They are a ritual. Add Violet Crumble to the list, and you have got a suitcase-worthy snack haul. The U.S. throws in bold flavors like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and Nerds Gummy Clusters. Some tourists cross time zones just to taste that sweet-spicy chaos.

How to ‘Snack-See’ Like a Pro?

Start with research. Not boring, guidebook research. Go straight to TikTok. Food creators often showcase limited-edition finds and where to buy them. Local food blogs also spill the best-kept secrets.

Skip airport stores. You want the real stuff, not tourist-marked prices. Hit up corner stores, night markets, and big-box grocery stores. These places have the snacks locals actually eat, not the repackaged versions.

Know the rules. Not all snacks make it past customs. Fresh meats, cheeses, or liquids could get tossed at the border. Always check what your country allows before packing your haul.