Curious about what travel looks like after a global pandemic? What are the newest travel trends? Ready for adventure? Guess what – you can still have adventure!
What do “boots on the ground” people in the travel industry say?
What do I mean by “boots on the ground”? Travel agents, the hospitality industry, and travel bloggers across the world all provide valuable insight into what travel looked like in the past.
These folks provide valuable insight into the newest travel trends. To obtain insights from these travel experts, I attended IG Live discussions worldwide, read blog posts, and listened to podcasts. You know. I did the research for you.
So what are those recommendations? Easy. Travel experts expect people to indulge in day trips. Travel to Europe is expected to be huge. Taking advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with family.
Some may visit locations that are less crowded. Many experts include state parks and national parks in the “less crowded category”. I agree with them. State and national parks have the potential for a travel adventure.
Let’s face it. Travel adventure is why many of us like to travel in the first place.
More recent travel trends.
Taking advantage of nature is expected to be popular. Several of the recommendations I have seen expect RV travel and camping to be very popular over the next year. To the extent that one expert estimates nearly 25 million Americans will use an RV over the next year.
That is good news for our RVing page and stories! If you don’t own an RV and would like to experiment, RVshare may be the answer for you.
Traveling in an RV provides excellent opportunities to experience nature. Winner winner, chicken dinner.
Dare I say it? Motorcycle road trips meet many of the same safe-travel definitions as RV traveling. If you are a motorcycle enthusiast like my family, a summer vacation may be calling you!
Traveling to lesser-known destinations is expected to be very popular. For example, if your normal vacation is to Miami, maybe consider Daytona Beach or Florida’s Gulf Shores instead. People are expected to take shorter trips and take advantage of long weekends at their destinations instead of week-long stays.
Long weekend getaways are expected to be very popular. They have the benefit of getting away from home, enjoying the benefits of travel, and keeping expenses down. My Regensburg and Vienna stories are great examples of how to enjoy long weekend getaways.
Another anticipated travel trend is home rentals instead of hotel stays.
Why? The logic seems simple. They have all the luxury of a hotel without having to share space with everyone else. That’s my answer anyway.
Features of home rental include self-containing your family and loved ones in a designated space during your vacation. It offers the opportunity to cook your own meals, eliminating exposure in restaurants. Rental homes like our cover photo afford the benefits of nature, privacy, and control over household hygiene. Are public pools not open? Try a rental home with a pool instead.
If that’s not the definition of a no-brainer, I don’t know what is.
What are other trends for travel?
In today’s economy, travel experts anticipate travelers seeking travel adventure to choose more affordable locations. Hiking, camping, and long weekends closer to home all fall in that category.
Some popular destinations are likely to see fewer visitors over the year or so. For example, travelers will likely choose to visit areas such as the Finger Lakes in New York instead of New York City.
All-inclusive resorts are expected to change their all-inclusive processes. The same changes are likely to affect the cruise industry. The days of endless buffet availability are likely over, only to be met by more structured mealtimes and smaller dining capacity. Tour sizes will likely be smaller. The scope of tours and excursions will likely also feature less crowded destinations and highlight nature.
Preparing for travel.
If you are traveling to an international destination, verify the country’s entry requirements. The US State Department and the European Commission remain good resources for international travel. For travel within the United States, tourists may be able to check with the destination state’s Visitor and Convention Bureau for advice.
Make sure you carry whatever supplies are necessary for personal hygiene and social distancing requirements. You know, the good ole’ face mask, hand sanitizer, and whatever else your preferred equipment is. Purchase hand sanitizer in sample-sized bottles and carry it on the plane in your liquid bag if you are flying. Believe it or not, this is a habit picked up in the pandemic that has continued into everyday life.
Like always, do your research. I highly recommend Lonely Planet’s travel resources for researching a destination.
Considering travel in today’s world can be scary.
And it should be. We live in a scary world.
The key word of that statement is “we live”.
There are a million reasons people travel. Many of those reasons haven’t changed. My 20 Reasons to Travel may be a good refresher.
Me, I love the travel adventure. I enjoy meeting new people and learning their stories. Nature will always call to my soul. I love exploring someplace new. Rediscovering new things about places I’ve already been to. My heart yearns to do the things I can’t do at home – like snorkeling.
There is a huge world out there just begging to be explored. Go enjoy it!
Magical Travels says
Hi, thanks for this blog post…I agree with you. I live in Italy and we were severily affected by Coronovirus. I work in the travel industry so, you can imagine, it has been a disaster, lots of cancellations and refuns. Hope things will get better, thanks again for sharing this article, very informing!!!