Wanderlust has tightened its grip over everyone on planet earth, or so it seems. Even before the year begins, people start eyeing long weekends to plan their vacations. For millennials, collecting experiences matters much more than collecting possessions. The travel and tourism industry across the globe has experienced an upsurge with nomads wanting to experience different destinations and ‘differently’! So let’s take a closer look at travel trends are picking up pace.
10. Immersion Travel
Travelling is no more just about completing a checklist of tourist attractions. People now want to immerse themselves in local culture and experience the local flavour in it’s true sense. Airbnb completed 10 years of existence in 2018 and became more popular than ever. More and more travelers are letting their barriers down and are preferring to stay with native families to understand more about the lifestyle and conventions of a new society.
9. Solo Travel
A sense of independence, an escape from the humdrum routine and a meditative experience- solo travelling offers all this and much more. It allows one to travel at his/her own pace without having to nose-dive into elaborate planning and inevitable arguments of group travel. Planning is still an essential component when one travels alone, but requires much less effort. The need for ‘me-time’ has increased. A number of women are opting to travel alone and search for safer and friendlier destinations for their solo trips.
8. Vineyards
Wine-tasting, understanding the history of wine-making and developing an appreciation of various tasting notes – travelers are wanting to add a touch of glamour, luxury and etiquette to their holidays. Vineyards not only offer an educational tour of the art of wine-making but also offer a romantic and relaxing getaway with breathtaking views of grapevines spread across hectares of land. And who doesn’t want to enjoy the pleasures of grape stomping!
7. Hostels
While bag-packing has always lured smart and frugal travelers, a number of social spaces and hostels have cropped up to their advantage. India, Thailand or Europe, hostels are everywhere and are gaining popularity with each passing day. Not only do they offer neat, clean and super-cool bunk beds (with some offering options of private rooms as well), many also flaunt of game-nights, parties and more giving people a chance to interact and mingle with fellow travelers.
6. Culinary Tourism
Food-lovers and connoisseurs of taste have started taking trips specifically to enjoy varied local, freshly prepared cuisines. People want to tingle their taste buds with authentic flavours from lands where they originate from. Apart from visiting street-food destinations in cities famous for local cuisines, food enthusiasts love to visit coffee-plantations, spice-gardens and fruit estates to feel the story behind what they eat and drink.
5. Rejuvenation Travel
2018 saw a rise in number of vacationers opting for wellness retreats, luxury spas and energy healing therapies. The trend of sensory deprivation tank has resurfaced where a person gets to float in saline water tank leading to intense relaxation, weightlessness and absence of any sensory stimuli. With our daily lives being smothered with business mails, social media scrolls and the need to answer those not-so-urgent pings, isolation is termed to be the next big luxury travel trend.
4. Fests and Festivals
People are willing to experience more than just sight-seeing when they travel to a new destination. They time their trips in advance to coincide them with popular festivals or upcoming fests in a particular city or country. Be it travelling to Zagreb during Christmas Advent or to Munich for the legendary Oktoberfest, fest tourism is booming and is expected to stay in demand for years to come. Music tourism and sports tourism are trends to look out for in 2019.
3. Extreme Adventure
Adrenaline-seeking wanderers are pushing their boundaries and are wanting to experience everything from beyond the skies to under the water. Skydiving and scuba diving fall under must-do experiences for every adventure lover. Activities like base jumping, ice-cycling, wing-suit flying are gaining traction and new adventure activities are being invented across the globe like never before.
2. Fan Pilgrimages
Whether you are a GOT lover or a bollywood movie-buff, there are destinations that you might have on your list just because you saw this ‘Oh-so-stunning’ place on screen. Fancy visiting Iceland to visit Castle Black? You’re not the only one. This trend while quite popular in the 90s has resurfaced with people indulging in popular series and movies of today’s era. Fandom is leading them to never-seen-before places which they can relate to because of their love of a popular series or film.
1. Offbeat destinations
Explorers are now wanting to discover destinations which are less heard of, less commercial and more exquisite. Emerging destinations which have taken the spotlight include Bhutan, Ethiopia, Seychelles, Kazakhstan, Paraguay and many such places where tourism is becoming the source of bread and butter for many. These destinations offer tranquility, peace and at the same time amazing locations and activities impossible to find anywhere else in the world.
We hope we’ve pepped you up enough for all your coming adventures for 2019! Go ahead, plan your journey, pack your gear and let the world be your playground!