There's a strange contradiction sitting at the center of Gen Z right now: it's the most connected generation that has ever existed, and also the loneliest one.
That's not an opinion, it's backed by research. Loneliness levels among young adults have increased by more than 30% over the past decade, and 43% of Gen Z adults report having no close friends at work, while 27% have no close friends at all outside family. The U.S. Surgeon General has reported that around half of adults experience loneliness severe enough to carry the same health risk as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and the demographic reporting it most isn't elderly people in rural isolation. It's the generation that grew up with a phone in their hand. SiLou HealthPenfieldpsych
Why being "connected" stopped meaning connected
The math doesn't add up until you understand what's actually happening. Many Gen Zers have a higher proportion of online-only connections, and without face-to-face interaction those relationships stay surface-level, plenty of likes and comments, but no real emotional depth. Swinburne
You can have hundreds of people see your story and still feel completely alone, because volume of interaction and quality of connection are not the same thing. For Gen Z, the volume of interaction is higher than it's ever been, but the value of that interaction has dropped. Five hundred people can read a post and you can still genuinely believe nobody would notice if you disappeared tomorrow. Penfieldpsych
The pandemic broke the social training ground
Part of this isn't even about phones directly. Gen Z came of age during a pandemic that restructured their social development entirely, two to three years of social life conducted mostly through screens, at exactly the age when social identity normally forms. The result is a generation that's emotionally articulate but, in many cases, genuinely out of practice at the basic mechanics of meeting people in person. Wewevibe
The correction is already happening
Here's the part that actually matters for anyone planning a trip: Gen Z noticed. There's been a real surge of young people deliberately stepping back from social media, deleting apps, swapping phones for analog hobbies, and most importantly, prioritizing connecting with people face to face. A 2025 Deloitte survey found that nearly a third of Gen Z respondents had deleted a social media app in the previous year, and as the same generation struggles to build friendships and relationships through screens, they're actively seeking out in-person experiences instead. CNBCCNBC
This is also showing up directly in how Gen Z travels. Recent research shows Gen Z travelers consistently prioritize unique experiences and making memories over luxury accommodations or flights, often saving money on hotels specifically to spend more on local experiences and entertainment at their destination. Younger generations increasingly value living fully over owning things, travel, connection, and real moments over material accumulation. Hotel News ResourceEnterprisezone
Translation: this generation isn't traveling to collect a passport stamp and a hotel review. They're traveling because real-world experience is the thing screens can't replicate, and they know it now in a way previous generations of travelers didn't have to think about.
Why a pub crawl fits this exactly
A pub crawl isn't content. It's not a photo you take and move on from. It's hours of unscripted, face-to-face interaction with strangers who become people you know by the end of the night, the exact kind of connection that 43% of young adults say they're missing in their daily life back home.
Madrid is one of the best cities in the world for this because the nightlife culture itself is built around being out, being social, and being present in a way that's increasingly rare. The Madrid Pub Crawl runs every night from Calle Cañizares 6, moves through some of Madrid's coolest bars, and ends with fast-track entry to a club until 5 or 6am, five free shots and one full night of the kind of connection that doesn't happen through a screen.
For a generation that's relearning how to be social in person, that's not a small thing. It's exactly the experience they're looking for, whether they'd phrase it that way or not.
Put the phone down for one night. Book here!
One Night. One Crew. Epic Memories
The Madrid PubCrawl is operated by The PubCrawl Company.