As the world changes, so too does the travel industry and the personal preferences of jetsetters. New technologies, mounting ecological concerns, modern work schedules, social media – these are all affecting the way people travel.
What does travel look like in 2020, and what will shape travel in years to come? To help answer that, here are four growing travel trends.
Responsible Tourism
Responsible tourism can mean many things to many people. For some, responsible tourism is all about showing greater respect for the places they visit, taking care not to disrupt the local communities and culture. For these travellers, responsible tourism can be as simple as engaging with the local community, learning a little of the language before they travel and supporting local businesses.
For others, responsible travel is primarily an ecological concern. Worried about the mounting climate crisis, they are careful to curb their personal emissions when they travel. They opt to fly less, or fly to nearby destinations. If they fly further afield, they purchase carbon offsets to ensure their emissions footprint is mitigated. At their destination, they might opt to book an eco-resort through Travelzoo, one with a mandate of sustainability and green practices. They might opt to take the train or bikes around instead of renting a vehicle.
They’re each part of a broader trend in travelers toward being more conscious and thoughtful abroad.
Micro Travelling
Micro travelling isn’t necessarily a new trend, but the name is new. Especially popular among millennials, whose work schedules and budget leave them little time/resources for long trips, micro travelling is all about vacationing close to home without sacrificing fun experiences. This might mean taking a weekend trip to a nearby city, or even booking activities in your own hometown.
Since micro trips are often last minute, travelers look to deal curating websites to find the most attractive deal. Deal curators vet the large number of deals on offer – both local and global – and select the best one. The vacation deals offered by Travelzoo for instance allow you to book last-minute without sacrificing quality or digging deep into your bank account.
The Roads Less Travelled
People are always looking for the hot new thing. It’s true in music, cuisine, wellness, fitness – and it’s certainly true of travel as well. Yes, there will always be tourists heading to Paris or New York, but expect a growing number of travellers to look beyond the obvious for off-the-beaten-path parts of the world.
The world is home to a massively diverse number of ecosystems, cultures, people and activities. It only makes sense that there’s a trend toward the roads less travelled.
Ancestry Trips
A direct effect of the popularity of DNA ancestry tests is the “ancestry trip”. As people discover more about themselves, they become more motivated to see where they came from. You didn’t know you had a little Scandinavian in you? You visit Denmark and Sweden to see where your story began. There’s a sizeable amount of North African in your ancestry you didn’t know was there? You venture to Morocco to learn more about the culture. Everyone’s on their own personal journey and DNA ancestry tests have made it easier than ever to find where that journey began.