We can all agree that travel in 2020 didn’t pan out the way that we had expected. But as we plan now for travel later there are so many new destinations and experiences to be excited about. I am sharing some of the travel trends we will get to see this year...
#1 Bucket List Trips - are a popular trend for a few reasons. People want to travel while they are healthy enough to do so, we have all been home for so long and are ready to escape, since all our travel was cancelled, avid travelers have had time to re-think their travel plans and how to take more meaningful trips.
Picture yourself on the Journey of Lifetime. Embark on a one-of-a-kind global adventure aboard a custom-designed Private Jet. This 24-day World of Adventures from Seychelles to the Galapagos, experience the rare, the wild and the beautiful on this trailblazing voyage across four continents and 8 countries. This is nothing short of amazing, with just 47 other globetrotting like-minded travelers hopping to Kyoto, Bali, Seychelles, Rwanda, Morocco, Bogota, and Galapagos.
If you are looking for something a bit more down to earth then a luxury safari in South Africa, Kenya, Zambia, or Tanzania could be a good choice. Personally, I’m planning on getting as many clients on train journeys as I can this year. I think it is a fabulous way to see a destination and once you board you can unpack and get settled in for your whole journey.
PRO TIP- Bucket list trips are in high demand and will sell out quickly. Start thinking about your “must-do” trip in 2021 and start planning it here. Wanderlist is a free planning tool that lets you collect and share travel dreams.
#2 Sustainable Travel - What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear sustainable travel? Eco travel? Green travel? After seeing the pictures of animals frolicking freely, and canals color correcting in 2020, I decided it was time to take a deeper look at how I, as a travel advisor can encourage more sustainable travel. What I learned from my Virtuoso Sustainability Community is that I already had. Sustainability is in fact not just travel that protects the planet, but it’s also travel that supports local economies, and travel that preserves cultural heritage. Norway, Peru, England and Wales are all excellent choices for sustainable travel. In Norway, you can embark on an 8-day sustainability focused expedition cruise. In Peru, you can take a 12-day journey that connects travelers with local artisans. And in England and Wales, you can venture out on a 3-day walking tour of historic footpaths overnighting in smaller scale accommodations and dining at village eateries.
PRO TIP- You do not have to go far to participate in sustainable travel. On your next domestic trip make sure that you are staying at locally owned and operated accommodations, dining at restaurants outside of tourist areas, and supporting local businesses like guides, boutiques, and artists. Read more tips on how to support local business when you travel here.
#3 – Wellness Travel - generally defined as travel with the pursuit of maintaining or enhancing one's personal wellbeing. In pandemic-era conditions, psychological and emotional fatigue has become almost a given for everyone, as has the challenge of finding ways to exercise physically when fitness facilities and even many outdoor spaces have been off-limits for most of 2020.
So-called immune-boosting retreats answer the call for relaxation and decompression within secluded, socially distanced environments where guests can focus on personal well-being. Such holistic getaways are often available in destinations with sunnier climates and incorporate elements like fitness classes, weight-loss programs, spa services and other specialized treatments that work to bolster the body’s natural defenses.
Thailand and Bali offer a prime selection of luxury wellness retreats, complete with onsite spas and fitness facilities, and often set on pristine private beaches. Besides which, the balmy temperatures and incredible, otherworldly beauty of these destinations hold inherent allure.
PRO-TIP- Travel in “pods” – meaning find your travel bubble and with as few as eight people, or travel with a friend, or a smaller group, plan trips customized to the members in your travel bubble. This will help with social distancing, private services and allow for exclusive time with family members that you have missed during the lockdown.
#4 – Multi-generational active Trips - as people find reasons to spend time with family members outside the home, as well as reconnect with extended family members from whom they may have been separated during lockdown, multi-generational active trips are forecast to become more common in 2021.
Most of us are familiar with what a wellness retreat entails – we spend a week in beautiful surroundings being tended to by holistic therapists, eating nutrient-dense food and practicing yoga with limited technology usage. However, usually we go back to our old habits when we get home. Considering this, a new trend is emerging whereby people instead embark on a longer-term wellness program while continuing to work. The idea is that this will enable them to fully embrace changes to their lifestyle when they return to their normal routine.
Lockdowns forced members of the same household to slow down, take stock and consciously make efforts to enjoy shared healthy activities like walking, running, or cycling to destress and maintain balance. It is believed that many will now better appreciate the benefits of an active lifestyle and what a blessing it is to be outdoors. Assuming that the world is on the path back to “normal” by summer 2021, families and relatives will be eager to reconnect while reveling in the warmer weather. PRO TIP- If you’re not ready to check in to a hotel for a month then start with a staycation or a nearcation to ease yourself back into hotel stays.
Travel in 2021 will still be different than any way we have traveled before, and that's why you need to work with a travel advisor (ahem) now more than ever before!
Until next time, stay healthy and keep dreaming!.