January is the month for travel trends forecasts and I’ve enjoyed reading predictions from Conde’ Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and Virtuoso. Here are the trends from these sources that I’ve seen reflected through our clients:
Coolcations
After this past brutal Texas summer, I’ve had several clients reach out to share that next summer they must leave town and go somewhere NOT HOT. Scandinavian countries never looked so appealing! We now have clients headed to Germany and Switzerland mountain towns next summer, a Backroads weekend adventure trip around Bend, Oregon and families still exploring Nantucket and other New England locations. We also recommend Vancouver in the summer. Vancouver is a beautiful lakefront city with great upscale hotels and restaurants, and it’s so close to the mountains. You can go out and enjoy nature during the day and the cosmopolitan nightlife in the evening.
Skip-gen travel
Grandparents traveling with their grandchildren is such a meaningful experience. Conde Nast Travel recommends ranches in the American West and African safaris as popular trips. We still see a lot of Europe trips, which for many can become an opportunity to explore heritage and genealogy. I’m about to start working on an Ireland itinerary for a grandmother and her two granddaughters which will likely be a delightful mix of castles, seaside cliffs, and charming villages.
Cruising
Everyone seems to have forgotten about the Covid years because cruising is BACK! The average age of cruisers is going down, and it appears that millennials are becoming cruise enthusiasts. I’ve learned a lot about different cruise lines over the past couple of years, and will be investing more training time to better match the right cruise to specific clients. In general, I love Disney Cruises for families…they do a consistently beautiful job with children, and the entertainment is world-class. For non family at the luxury level, my favorite line is Regent Seven Seas. Regent has a great ‘country club casual’ vibe combined with a lot of inclusions – including a wide range of free excursions. I had clients go on their first Regent cruise last year. They called me to book a second one within a few weeks of returning home!
I hear a lot of good things about Virgin Voyages, which Rosedale advisor Denise has sailed on. Virgin is adults only with a great party vibe, and Denise says the entertainment is edgier than typical. Virgin would be super fun for a milestone birthday group who loves to party. I’m also following Explora Journeys – they are a new luxury line targeting younger, first time cruisers. They have some startup kinks to work out – but one to consider!
Sports / Concert Tourism
Taylor Swift has single handedly driven destination travel for her concerts – but sporting events are definitely up there as well. I’m a 2024 poster child for this travel trends as I have not one, but two trips on the books to see U2 at the Sphere in Vegas. (One is a girls’ trip, one is a couples trip so, you know, completely different.) I also have very loose plans to travel with friends to Michigan this September to catch the Texas / Michigan game in Ann Arbor, which also counts as a ‘coolcation’ trip as well!
Emerging Destinations
We’ve had interest in the Baltics and planned travel for Colombia which both pop up as growing destinations for travel. I planned a Canadian road trip last summer which included Montreal – such a beautiful city and a way to feel a bit Parisian without a flight over the Atlantic. I was just in Louisville for a half marathon (Urban Bourbon – it’s a good one!) and can see how next year is a great time to visit alongside the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.
And a trend that I cannot personally vouch for – but would LOVE to explore for clients is plan-free travel. Can you imagine not finding out where you are going until you arrive at the airport? This would be only for clients. I’ve gotten to know over a couple of trips… but sounds like fun for the traveler…and for me as well!
Which Travel trends do you plan on jumping on in 2024?
