Do you imagine yourself going on trips alone or with your loved ones? If you are just planning on travelling in general, 2019 could be your year! In this article, you will find the emerging trends in tourism and travel. These trends would elevate your travel experience.
Top 10 Latest Travel Trends
1. Nomadic Sabbaticals and Family Travels
Sabbaticals pertain to an extended period away from your work or postgraduate studies. Data predicts that approximately half of the American and UK working force will opt to become freelancers by 2020 and that there will be a 40 percent increase in home-schooled children in 2019. These shifting dynamics in the work schedule and time for learning give way to participate in family travels.
This way, the entire family can see the world, expand their horizons and learn more about the culture of people in the different regions of the world. Currently, Instagram users @nappy_nomad_ and @travelling_family provide proof that family travels and nomadic sabbaticals are possible and would lead to enriching experiences and fresh perspectives.
2. Homeware Hotels for Accommodation
Homeware companies are businesses that sell furniture, porcelain pieces, and fixtures to decorate your house. Homeware companies embark on the business venture of opening their hotels. Among the homeware companies, MADE.com is the first to launch a hotel in Manhattan in 2016.
In the early period of this year, the Japanese lifestyle brand Muji began accepting visitors in their homeware hotels, located in Beijing and Shenzhen. In the summer of 2018, the Boathouse which is a boutique hotel situated in London opened as well.
The difference between this kind of hotel to the traditional hotels is that most of the products inside the hotel are available for purchase. Samples of products for sale include: toothbrush stands, wooden chairs, different kinds of pillows, and similar homeware.
It is proving to be a hit trend as homeware companies continue to plan their open in the next years, like Tokyo’s Ginza in 2019 and USA’s West Elm in 2020.
3. Fearless Journeys by Couples
Back then, couples often went to places with comfort, golden sun rays, and paradise-like surroundings. Nowadays, there is an emerging interest in engaging in intrepid types of travel.
The definition of an intrepid journey may vary from one individual to another. It may involve a trip around Iran with Wild Frontiers Travel for 15 days, a drive on Karakorum Highway in Northern Pakistan, or a road trip from Xian to Kathmandu with lodging on the Tibetan Plateau. In these places, there are local guides who are willing to help you navigate the area.
Due to the possible interaction with wildlife and overcoming the discomfort in a new location, these brave and fearless journeys can rekindle intimacy and arouse appreciation between you two.
4. Special Home Rental for Group Travels
Finding accommodation for a large number of people can be quite tricky. You will have limited choices between chalets and villas. However, things are changing, and Airbnb will rise to the challenge by means of ‘Beyond’ in 2019. This upcoming Airbnb feature is a luxury alternative that caters to more affluent individuals. It will offer personalized experiences and luxury houses, even ski lodges in Aspen.
Another avenue for exclusive home rentals is Stay One Degree which is a social network made for owners of luxury vacation homes. The network list includes more than a thousand properties and 10,000 members in more than 50 countries. By joining here, you can stay at a bedroom castle in Kent or beach pad in Costa Rica.
Aside from those two mentioned, you can also explore the possibility of micro crowdfunding for your travel. An excellent example is Marriott International’s Tribute Portfolio.
5. Co-living during Solo Trips
Hotels and hostels are not necessarily the friendliest places for people traveling alone. These lodging can be isolating at times. If you are looking for a place to stay and a chance to form friendships with other people, you may opt for co-living.
The company WeLive offers apartment complexes with shared places for social events, physical activities like yoga, and hot tubs. You can choose to stay for a few weeks or months.
Other co-living companies include Roam in Miami, Tokyo, Bali, and San Francisco, Lyf by Ascott in Cebu City, Singapore, and Shenzhen, The Collective in London, and The Assemblage St John Street hotel in New York. Some of these apartments have housekeeping and free laundry features.
6. Zero Leftovers for Eco-living
In the UK, there is a total of 20 billion euros wasted because of food waste. There have been movements by zero- and low-waste restaurants like Cub in London and Silo in Brighton to cut down this loss.
Recently, other establishments started doing their share of good deeds. The Langham London, a luxury hotel, is the first hotel in Europe to implement a ‘rapid composting’ system where they convert 2,400 pounds of leftovers into the water each day. The Armani Hotel in Dubai turns the scraps into nutritious soil, with the goal of reducing their kitchen waste by 80 percent. The Salt of Palmar hotel in Mauritius plans to launch a hydroponic vegetable and fruit farm for self-sufficiency and sustainability.
By 2025, the Marriott International, which has an extravagant hotel buffet, intends to reduce food waste by half. In the years to come, you will witness the standard of luxury hotels and dining change.
7. Cannabidiol Treatments in Spa
Extracted from cannabis plants, cannabidiol (CBD) is an emerging trend due to its healing properties. Since the legalization of marijuana for medical and recreational purposes in countries and states around the world, spas are using this non-psychoactive compound for their therapies.
The Ritz-Carlton Spa in Los Angeles started the use of hemp, a variety of the cannabis plant, for oils. These oils help decrease muscle tension and soreness and also relieve stress and anxiety. The Spa at St Julien Colorado offers the ‘Ultimate Colorado Bliss CBD Experience’ with the inclusion of a full-body massage with CBD oil and CBD tea, and a body butter wrap infused with CBD. This CBD experience amounts to US$295.
8. Cryptocurrency Bookings for Air Travel and Accommodation
Handling money during trips is one of the issues faced by travelers. When there is a manual and mechanical part in a process, there could be errors and lapses in judgment, such as when you get money at an ATM or exchange money for another currency.
There is also the issue of dynamic pricing when you travel abroad. For example, credit card companies charge British people in pounds instead of the local currency of their travel destination. Because of this issue, they collectively lose more than 1 million euros per day.
To solve this financial problem, Bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies could provide a universal and more secure payment system, with no unnecessary fees. Nowadays, Ethereum cryptocurrency is accepted in 450,000 hotels, such as the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo and Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, through the Tripio application.
From 2019 onwards, the market predicts a rise in cryptocurrency transactions for airline booking. Currently, Cheapair, Peach Air, Air Baltic, and Surf Air are capable of these transactions.
9. Biometric Airports in the Transportation Sector
Recent models of smartphones introduced facial recognition and fingerprint scans, replacing the need to input passwords manually. With the changing times and improving technology, you can expect that other institutions will implement and utilize this current technology. Soon, there will be less queue for boarding and immigration, and the need for a physical copy of your passports and boarding passes will be a thing of the past.
Starting in 2017, British Airways ran trials of biometric entries at the gates of American airports such as Miami, Orlando, and New York City. Delta Air Lines already has fingerprint entry at the local Delta Sky Club lounge.
In 2019, London Heathrow will launch the world’s largest biometrically activated products like self-boarding gates and bag drops, amounting to a cost of 50 million euros. In this system, a flight passenger will not need any documentation in each checkpoint from arrival to plane. With the implementation of the biometrics, the passenger will have a travel time with 1/3 difference from the traditional system.
During the next five years, SITA projects that 71% of airlines and 77% of airports will allocate research and design for the management of biometric ID.
10. Trainers with Low Carbon Footprints
In a traveler’s suitcase, you will most likely spot a pair of running shoes. This accessory has a significant amount of carbon dioxide generation, a total of 13 kilograms. This amount of carbon footprint is attributable to the production of synthetic rubber, nylon, and plastics needed.
To reduce your carbon footprint and help the environment, you may opt to wear more organic shoes. You can choose from Wado, a Portuguese brand that plants two trees per pair bought, Beja from France that uses organic goods, Allbirds in San Francisco that utilizes merino wool from New Zealand, and The People’s Movement that creates trainers from upcycled plastic.
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