ES Lifestyle newsletter The latest lifestyle, fashion and travel trends Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive trends and interviews from fashion, lifestyle to travel every week, by email Update newsletter preferences

Crystal-clear waters, vast mountain ranges and infinity swimming pools that appear to go on for miles - holiday staples or Instagram “like” traps?

A recent survey shows that two in five millennials choose their holiday spots based on how “Instagrammable” the destination is, valuing the photo ops over alcohol, cuisine and even sightseeing.

One thousand adults across the UK were asked what they valued most about a travel experience, and 40.1 percent of them said they take "Instagrammability" into consideration. Far behind at just 24 percent was the cost or availability of alcohol, with personal development not far off at 22.6 percent.

Only 9.4 percent responded that they value the chance to taste local food, and a bare 3.9 percent said they value the opportunity to go sightseeing.

So what does this mean? For 40 percent of millennials, getting the perfect snap is worth twice as much as eating or drinking.

For Leeds native Kay Brown, Instagram helps her decide between travel locations as opposed to fumbling through blogs and articles. She said she uses Instagram when looking at places to travel within the UK as well as across Europe.

“I tend to start looking at what images have been geotagged in the location or vicinity so I can get an idea of how popular, nice or photogenic the place is and discover places that might not otherwise be written about,” Brown told the Standard. “I then move onto location-specific hashtags which tend to be populated by tourists rather than residents, so I can see how other visitors have spent their time in the place.

A millennial from Cambridge shared Brown’s sentiment. To Lucy Stevens, Instagram provides the opportunity for her to get a better perspective of a destination before she books a trip.

“I'd be lying if I said it didn't play a part,” Stevens said. “If an Instagram novice can make a place look amazing, then I am sold and probably want to go myself too!”

Others, however, see “Instagrammability” as an afterthought when planning travel. Alex Blakoe, a recent graduate from London, said although he takes pictures whilst on holiday, the Instagram pictures are just an added bonus.

17 bucket list hotels - in pictures 17 show all 17 bucket list hotels - in pictures 1/17 Fogo Island Inn, Canada Fogo Island Inn 2/17 Tri, Sri Lanka Hotel Tri 3/17 Keemala, Thailand Keemala 4/17 Alila, Oman 5/17 Nihiwatu, Indonesia Nihiwatu 6/17 Qualia, Australia Qualia, Australia Hamilton Island 7/17 Soneva Jani, Maldives Soneva Jani has a near mystical silhouette of pitched roofs and wide terraces Soneva Jani 8/17 Azulik, Tulum Tatiana Chausovsky 9/17 Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy Grand Hotel Tremezzo 10/17 Awasi, Patagonia Awasi 11/17 Golden Eye, Jamaica Royale trip: Ian Fleming's GoldenEye estate Peter Brown 12/17 Jade Mountain, St Lucia Classy choice: Jade Mountain, with its views of the Pitons Jade Mountain 13/17 Villa Honegg, Switzerland Hotel Villa Honegg, Timo Schwach 14/17 Six Senses, Crete Six Senses spa with seaside view Porto Elounda 15/17 Borgo Egnazia, Puglia Press 16/17 Le Sirenuse, Positano The pool at Le Sirenuse Le Sirenuse 17/17 Song Saa, Cambodia Le Song Saa Resort Thailand Le Song Saa Resort Thailand 1/17 Fogo Island Inn, Canada Fogo Island Inn 2/17 Tri, Sri Lanka Hotel Tri 3/17 Keemala, Thailand Keemala 4/17 Alila, Oman 5/17 Nihiwatu, Indonesia Nihiwatu 6/17 Qualia, Australia Qualia, Australia Hamilton Island 7/17 Soneva Jani, Maldives Soneva Jani has a near mystical silhouette of pitched roofs and wide terraces Soneva Jani 8/17 Azulik, Tulum Tatiana Chausovsky 9/17 Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como, Italy Grand Hotel Tremezzo 10/17 Awasi, Patagonia Awasi 11/17 Golden Eye, Jamaica Royale trip: Ian Fleming's GoldenEye estate Peter Brown 12/17 Jade Mountain, St Lucia Classy choice: Jade Mountain, with its views of the Pitons Jade Mountain 13/17 Villa Honegg, Switzerland Hotel Villa Honegg, Timo Schwach 14/17 Six Senses, Crete Six Senses spa with seaside view Porto Elounda 15/17 Borgo Egnazia, Puglia Press 16/17 Le Sirenuse, Positano The pool at Le Sirenuse Le Sirenuse 17/17 Song Saa, Cambodia Le Song Saa Resort Thailand Le Song Saa Resort Thailand

“Some friends, I feel, do take it too far. I'm not sure it goes as far as to determine their destination but it can certainly seems like it's spoiling their holiday a bit when they're out there,” Blakoe told the Standard. “They spend their time counting the likes they get instead of having a bit of a digital detox and enjoying the place.”

Whether you mean to embrace it or not, Instagram's effect on the way millennials travel is just some (potentially photogenic) food for thought.

Perhaps next time you instinctively reach for your phone, you'll make a conscious effort to try to see the sights without the help of your screen.