Travelling is one of the most important things to do in life. It gives you new experiences, helps you to meet fantastic new people, allows you to learn new things and most important of all it means you get to see the world - see stuff you've never seen before and do you stuff you've never done before. As the world evolves, technology advances, the way we travel changes and here are the travel trends for the year ahead.
Spontaneity
With cheap flights, access to technology and able to book a holiday at the click of a button, more and more people will be booking last minute trips, no planning and saving up for half the year, it's a more get up and go kind of culture now, and we can expect to see more of that.
Set-jetter
This new term describes those who are jetting off to visit sets in this golden age of television. The influence of small-screen shows is rivalling that of film, so 2019 is likely to see Helen Mirren's 2019 period drama Catherine The Great put its filming location of Lithuania on the map, while the second series of Big Little Lies is likely to draw viewers to sun-kissed Monterey in California next year. The last ever season of Game Of Thrones will also inspire trips to Croatia, Iceland and Northern Ireland, home of the famous Dark Hedges trees, pictured. Winterfell Tours, based in Co Down, offers movie set experiences and exclusive private tours.
Destination Hotels
Hotels have been upping their game to become more experiential and a destination in their own right, something that will continue to happen in the future. Rather than travellers seeking out the country or location they want to go, more and more will be looking for hotels to visit. For example, this ICEHOTEL, a world-famous snowtel that changes the design every winter and doubles as an art exhibition made of ice or something like the Ion Adventure Hote l is surrounded by fire and ice.
Isolation
People wishing to go to remote islands in the middle of nowhere will continue to rise. Hotels.com reported an 18% increase in searches for off-the-grid destinations in 2018. Busy cities and bustling beach resorts are taking more of a backseat today, as people no longer want to follow the crowds, but avoid them - and they'll go a long way to do it.
DIY
With the rise of Airbnb and other companies like rumah, there will be more people organising their trips themselves, booking their own accomodation and staying in people's homes rather than hotels and organised packaged trips.
More Mini Breaks
53% of travellers have reported that they plan to take more weekend trips in 2019, which will mean big business for local economies. Thanks for improvements in flight routes, transport, cheap flights, on-demand car rentals and accommodation, micro-trips will become increasingly more popular and varied.
Conscious travel
As the environment and global warming becomes high on most people's agenda, social issues have become an important thing to consider for travellers when they are thinking about where to go. Safety, regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation are also of great importance to explorers. Platforms such as Destination Pride are harnessing the power of multiple data sources to provide travellers with a ranking of how LGBT+ friendly their chosen travel destination is, while destinations and organisations will increasingly step up their support for women travelling alone.
Technology
Artificial intelligence, virtual reality and speech recognition are all innovations that can simplify not only the way we travel but the way we explore other countries, the way we get around, how we speak to people and how we get our information. According to Booking.com, keyless room-access with your phone, personalised travel tips or a robotic concierge who can communicate with guests in their mother tongue will be the future. Also, travellers are now more enthusiastic about real-time luggage tracking through a mobile app and having a single app for all their planning, booking and travel needs than the prospect of using self-driving transportation in their destination.
Personalisation
As companies continue to gather our data, travellers will be more conscious of how their travel information is consumed and used. People want more personalised service, travel recommendations based on past travel experience, or digital tour guides to give them a truly bespoke experience.
More than just a holiday
Most people who have travelled agree travelling has taught them invaluable life skills, and 2019 will see a rise in people's desire to learn something new - this may include volunteering and skills-based holidays - while on holiday. Trips with a purpose will become more popular in 2019, with 68% of global travellers considering taking part in cultural exchanges to learn a new skill, followed by a volunteering trip and international work placements.
Experiences
60% of travellers value experiences higher than material possessions, which will mean 2019 will see travellers packing in many different and authentic experiences. From where you eat and sleep to how you shop, there will be more of a focus on comfort and happiness, than materialistic opportunities.
As many Millennials are said to value the "Instagrammability" of their holiday destination above all else, companies are increasingly making sure that they can accommodate. Guests in hotels or on trips will have the perfect locations to capture for their social media as well as access to local photographers to create natural, Instagram-friendly shots that are guaranteed to get a load of likes.
Solo Travel
More and more tourists, particularly women, are choosing to set off on adventures by themselves. If you're after some "me" time but are not ready to go completely solo, some travel operators - such as Abercrombie & Kent - offer small group tours of like-minded travellers so you can visit new places on your own, but never alone.
Digital Detox
While some people are choosing their holidays based on social media, others are desperate to get away from it. Off-grid digital detoxes are expected to become ever more popular next year. Some resorts are designed specially to help guests unplug from their busy lives. The Ranch Malibu, for example, offers a week-long fitness and wellness programme. Wake early to Tibetan chimes and fill your days with mountain hiking and restorative yoga.
Travellers not tourists
People are increasingly avoiding the tourist-track and going off to quieter and lesser-known places to see the country they are in, see how the locals live and get a different and authentic experience - will is usually cheaper too.
Health-conscious travel
Health-conscious travel is on the rise, and many travel companies are introducing new offerings for travellers to maintain their well-being on the road. This is not surprising when you think about the growing trend of health and wellness in general - for example, over 50% of Americans are now getting the recommended amount of exercise per week. In response to the growing demand for health-conscious travel, Intrepid Travel is adding six new cycling tours to their existing range next year, including in Bali and Peru.
Now is a perfect time to get thinking about where you want to go and what you want to do. There are some great deals around, new budget airlines offering new routes all the time, so the possibilities and choices are endless. The world is your oyster, and you can go wherever you want. Travelling is set to be exciting not just for 2019 but for many years to come - who knows; we could be going to the moon next!
