Should 2022 travel trends revolve around a resurgence of travel, then 2023 proved to be the year of unprecedented exploration. Travelers used the air, rails, roads, and seas to fulfill travel dreams of experiencing luxury yacht cruises, Arctic adventures, and even the first-ever tourist trip into space.
Travelers in 2024 are going to prioritize their priorities and value meaningful experiences, quality time with loved ones, and moments of wellness that extend beyond the point of sale. We’ll be picking our spots wisely, taking our time to appreciate the peace and the stars, indulging in our love of food in novel and intriguing locations, and delving deeply into wellness routines that extend our lives.
These twenty travel trends are probably going to shape our perception of the world in 2024.
Astrotourism
Which way is things trending? It goes without saying that astronomy has been studied since the beginning of human civilization, and stargazing has long been a source of calming wonder. These days, as society becomes more and more enmeshed in a virtual world that is always growing, we feel more and more compelled to explore the real world. Traveling to places where there is no pollution, crowds, or traffic allows us to concentrate only on the sky above and spend hours staring at the stars, planets, and constellations overhead. This practice is known as astronomical tourism.
Why is it important in 2024? More and more wellness-focused hotels and spas are making room for their patrons to look up, spotting comets, observing constellations, and finding patterns in the glistening sky. The Lookout Bubble, a glass dome at Port Lympne in the UK, lets visitors stretch out on king-sized beds and look up at the stars. Zulal Wellness Resort, located further east on the Arabian Gulf and encircled by the vastness of the Qatari desert, is the ideal location for pollution-free astromancy. It offers special workshops and stargazing sessions for families and kids who want to learn more about the universe.
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The safari company Desert & Delta arranges stargazing excursions throughout Namibia and Botswana. Guests can spend the nights under unobstructed starry skies in tents at secluded spots like the Makgadikgadi Pans, one of the biggest salt flats in the world. Similar to this, Tswalu is a safari camp in the Korannaberg mountains of South Africa that features star beds situated on a sleep-out deck. Furthermore, 2024 promises to be a fantastic year for the sky, with both amazing meteor showers and mind-boggling eclipses.
Furthermore, as we near the next solar maximum—the sun’s apex of its 11-year activity cycle—scientists are projecting the best Northern Lights shows in 20 years, according to the Guardian.
Environmental Scuba Diving
Which way is things trending? an increase in divers making more environmentally conscious decisions about where to travel and choosing to dive sites based on how sustainably operated the dive centers are.
Why is it important in 2024? The Reef-World Foundation, a UK marine ecology charity, discovered in 2022 that 95% of divers desired to make reservations with sustainable operators but found it difficult to do so. In response, on World Earth Day in 2023, the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, also known as Padi, along with the United Nations Environment Program and Reef-World itself, launched their Eco Center accreditation. Because of how difficult it is to obtain this green status—which requires sharing proof of conservation efforts and a genuine decrease in environmental impact—Padi advised operators to give themselves at least a year to meet the requirements, which means they should wait until Earth Day 2024.
Padi has set a target of 660 operators by 2030
There are currently 100 accredited operators globally, up from just 11 at first. Padi has set a target of 660 operators by 2030, or one-tenth of its current membership. “South East Asia and the Caribbean presently have the highest density (more than 20),” according to Julie Andersen of Padi. What does this entail for divers and their travel plans, then? According to Andersen, “the kind of conservation work done and reported on depends on the Eco Center.” Programs for replanting coral are available in the Caribbean, which is essential for revitalizing coastlines. Citizen science courses have been developed in Baja, Mexico, with the goal of gathering data for the conservation of whales.
A number of new Padi courses are also being introduced for divers to take anywhere, such as the Coral Reef Conservation Specialty course, which will relaunch before December, and the Global Shark and Ray Census, which will take place in August 2024.
House Swapping Travel Trends
Which way is things trending? Sophisticated tourists are seeking longer trips abroad, and living and working overseas is more appealing than ever thanks to the growth of remote employment. The drawback? spending a lot of money on lodging while you’re at it. Home swapping is the ideal way to ensure that you have a (free) place to live while you offer up your own for weeks or even months at a time.
Why is it important in 2024? Home swapping is a more cost-effective option to booking pricey hotels or Airbnbs when travel expenses keep rising. Although the ideas of house swapping and couch surfing have been around for decades, a number of sleek new platforms are changing the face of home swapping as it exists today.
Operations in Lisbon and Los Angeles
In just eight months, Twin City—which has operations in Lisbon and Los Angeles—has assembled a community of more than 1,100 thoroughly screened users. Members can connect with Twins through the platform for an annual subscription fee of roughly $189. They are also encouraged to exchange local recommendations for both their homes and city, making it feel more like they are swapping with a trusted friend than a complete stranger.
In the meantime, $15 million was raised this year by Kindred, a home-swapping platform whose users accrue credits for every night they swap residences. Kindred currently has over 10,000 homes in more than 50 cities. Every stay, members only need to pay a cleaning and service charge; the actual cost of the stay is waived.
Instead of paying membership fees, travelers can go straight to TikTok, where Gen Z seems to be leading the social media home-swapping movement. Trending hashtags #houseswap and #homeswap, which were sparked by the movie The Holiday, have received over 23 and 20 million views, respectively. Users use the platform to promote their homes, find other like-minded individuals with whom to trade, and record their travels.
The new places to eat are train stations.
Which way is things trending? Throughout the world, train stations are typically traversed quickly since they were not intended for passengers to linger. These days, it makes sense for train stations to welcome travelers with stores, eateries, and bars for them to explore, as travel delays rise and tourists seek out more local experiences. Historic train stations are being redesigned with the goal of creating a more dynamic visitor experience. A key component of the redesign is the provision of custom food and drink offerings.
Why is it important in 2024? Local eateries and bars are opening up to draw in more patrons as train stations undergo renovations to make room for more passengers and modernize outdated infrastructure. The Irish Exit, a bar from the team behind the critically acclaimed Dead Rabbit, and Yono Sushi by trendy BondST opened in 2023 at the new Moynihan Train Hall in New York City. Other tenants include outposts of the well-liked NYC eateries Pastrami Queen and Jacob’s Pickles, with the arrival of Mexican hotspot La Esquina.In May 2023, Toronto’s Union Station opened Union Market as part of its renovation, featuring beloved neighborhood food vendors Manotas Organics, Chocolatta Brigadeiro’s, Patties Express, and Kibo.
Under Glasgow Central Station, a new restaurant and bar called Platform 1 opened its doors in November in the United Kingdom. In addition to serving street food-style cuisine and handcrafted beers produced in the on-site microbrewery, the cave-like area features an outdoor beer garden and historic brick arches. Concurrently, the nearby hotel The Newt is transforming Somerset’s Castle Cary station, planning to open a creamery, cafe, and co-working space in 2024.
Over the next few years, 30th Street Station in Philadelphia will undergo a complete renovation that includes plans for a 20% increase in concession space that will prioritize local purveyors.
Travel for sports
Which way is things trending? Thanks to glitzy TV documentaries like Formula 1: Drive to Survive, a new generation of sports fans has emerged in recent years, changing the landscape of sports tourism. These days, we’re bringing our fandom outside the house and following a variety of sports in far-off places. We plan vacations that center around attending races, games, and other events in far-off places, and we extend our stays to take in the surrounding attractions.
Why is it important in 2024? The Olympic and Paralympic Games serve as the centerpiece of the 2024 sporting calendar. Over a million visitors are anticipated to check in throughout the French city from late July to early September, when it begins in Paris. Large-scale initiatives like the 1.4 billion Seine cleanup project, which, if all goes according to plan, will permit public swimming in the river for the first time in a century, have been spurred by the games.
In other places, the Tour de France begins in Italy for the first time, with riders taking off quickly from Florence, traveling north through Emilia-Romagna to the Adriatic coast town of Rimini. For those who are eager to join in the fun, tour companies like Ride International Tours and Ride Holidays have released new bike routes in the area.
Taking a cold shower
Which way is things trending? Summer vacations used to be primarily about following the sun, seeking the heat, watching the temperature rise, and hitting the beaches for the great majority of people. In light of the recent extreme, record-breaking heat, many are thinking about going the other way and planning “coolcations” in temperate locations, which also have the advantage of being less crowded.
Why is it important in 2024? The year 2023 is officially the hottest on record. It makes sense that a lot of tourists are reconsidering their plans to visit literal hotspots like Sicily and the South of France in July or August because of the likelihood of heatwaves. According to a survey conducted for the upscale travel network Virtuoso, 82% of its customers are thinking about travel in 2024 to places with more temperate weather, like Scotland, Iceland, Finland, and Intrepid Travel, in addition to Latvia, which is seeing a sharp increase in popularity. According to Andrea Godfrey of Regent Holidays, “we’re seeing an increase in those holidaying further north.” “The Baltics and Scandinavia are gaining popularity because they provide a more laid-back vacation experience with beautiful lakes, forests, and beaches for both leisure and action-packed adventures.”
Family vacations are especially well-suited to cooler weather. According to Liddy Pleasants, founder of family-friendly travel agency Stubborn Mule Travel, “we’re getting far more inquiries from families for destinations that offer summer sun, but also respite from the high temperatures being experienced in beach resorts across the Med.” “In Slovenia, cycling or hiking is also very good value, and kayaking in Norway with its midnight sun is one example.”
Traveling for work
Which way is things trending? Athletes and wellness experts were the main attractions at retreats for many years. However, travel’s new rock stars are, well, rock stars. Name it the effect of Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift is the main reason for the more than 50% increase in destination concert business, according to Janel Carnero, travel advisor at Embark Beyond. Swift’s Eras Tour tickets cost thousands of dollars and were still unobtainable in the US.
Fans of music are realizing that going to see their favorite pop icons perform in, say, Amsterdam or Milan, will cost them less money and provide them with a more memorable experience. Music festivals—Glastonbury sold out in less than an hour—will be the main drivers of travel, but tours by artists like Pearl Jam, U2, Doja Cat, and Madonna will serve as trip itinerary anchors. (Recall when everyone went to see Beyoncé early in Stockholm?”).
Travelers are being introduced to less-traveled locations
Why is it important in 2024? Travelers are being introduced to less-traveled locations by new music festivals like Untold in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, claims Alexandrea Padilha of Fischer Travel. And according to Carnero, it’s no longer just about the music. She continues, “It’s the social element of sharing experiences with friends.”
Travel agencies and hotels have noticed this and are providing their guests with experiences that are similar to backstage VIP experiences. Recently, the international adventure group Eleven debuted Music with Eleven. The program’s committed group of insiders from the music business, which includes Decemberists guitarist Chris Funk, creates personalized itineraries. One such itinerary could involve attending a recording session at Flóki Studios, which is located in Iceland just outside the Arctic Circle at Deplar Farm. Additionally, on its catamarans, Rhythm & Sails hosts musicians. As you cruise the Caribbean islands, Anders Beck, the lead musician for the jam band Greensky Bluegrass, selects the musicians who will play live on board and in local communities.
Resorts can help you extend your life through biohacking.
Which way is things trending? Thanks to best-selling books like Outlive and the popular Netflix documentary Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones, longevity has become the newest wellness buzzword.According to an analysis by the longevity research and media company Longevity.Technology, venture capital investment in longevity clinics more than doubled from $27 million to $57 million globally between 2021 and 2022. Hotels are now focusing on the science of prolonging life and maximizing health. The newest biohacks are being offered by sybaritic resorts as well as Blue Zones retreats, which are the new boot camps. Vitamin IV by the pool, anyone?
Why is it important in 2024? Since the pandemic, being happy takes precedence over appearance. “Developing a more proactive, preventive approach to health on all levels has become critically important,” states Karina Stewart, co-founder of Kamalaya, a wellness retreat located in Koh Samui, Thailand. This entails a newfound willingness to embrace bio-regenerative therapies like ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen chambers—both available at Kamalaya’s recently opened Longevity House—instead of just diet and exercise.
Brands of upscale hotels are also embracing the trend. Recently, Six Senses Ibiza and biotech startup RoseBar partnered to provide guests with comprehensive diagnostic testing. Virtusan, a leader in wellness technology, and Maybourne Hotel Group are working together to help visitors perform better. And through its collaboration with Next Health, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea offers therapies like stem cells and NAD+, also known as the fountain of youth. A B12 shot is given to visitors at Kauai’s 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay, and the resort’s recently renovated wellness-focused rooms feature infrared light mats as well as other recovery-enhancing amenities. Taking more vacations could be the key to longevity if the current trend holds true.
Peak season is ignored
Which way is the trend going? Travel during shoulder season to Europe’s most popular destinations—France, Spain, the UK, and Italy—has increased dramatically in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue in 2024. After seeing 14% more bookings for September 2023 than for August 2023, luxury travel experts Original Travel has introduced new shoulder season itineraries to destinations that are typically in demand during the summer, including the crystalline seascapes of Sardinia and Corsica. “Comparing phone reservations in 2023 against 2019, we’ve seen a 33% increase for March to May and a 58% increase for September to November, a pattern reflected across our other booking channels too,” says Pegi Amarteifio of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, offering similar insights.
Why is it important in 2024? Into 2024, a confluence of social, economic, and environmental factors will propel this trend. Value is becoming more important due to the crisis in the cost of living. This is a limiting factor for 62% of respondents to Booking.com’s 2024 travel trends survey, so much so that 47% of respondents are even willing to take their kids out of school in order to take advantage of cheaper off-peak travel. As temperatures rise, shoulder season travel is also growing more appealing and practical because of flexible work schedules. Overlaying these pragmatic factors is an emotional incentive as well: tourists are yearning for genuineness now more than ever, preferring quiet, authentic experiences overseas to beaches that look like Where’s Waldo? scenario.
Travel Trends: Exclusive group excursion
Which way is things trending? There’s no indication that the post-pandemic urge to get together with loved ones and celebrate a shared holiday is going away. In fact, luxury travel is becoming more popular as people realize the value of it and savor the occasion. This includes 50-something empty-nesters eager to renew long-standing friendships as well as three-generation family groups. However, don’t look up to Succession’s family vacation in Tuscany.
Why is it important in 2024? According to Tom Marchant of Black Tomato, where group travel now makes up 30% of reservations, “while some predicted group travel would peak post-pandemic, we’ve seen it have a lasting, positive impact with private group bookings continuing to be a dominant trend.” To meet the demand, the company recently introduced its See You in the Moment series. It uses a mood board with over 35 experiences themed around major flash points, such as The Challenge (rafting down the Apurímac in Peru, perhaps) and The Meal (a backcountry feast served on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, for example), all aimed at making enduring memories. Multigenerational travelers, on the other hand, are thinking big, according to Scott Williams: Meli on Paxos in the Greek Islands, which sleeps 17, is an example of an estate worth taking rather than just one house.
Group bookings have increased
Other groups are heading out to sea as well; Red Savannah reports a rise in reservations for Egyptian dahabiyas, Turkish gulets, and Indonesian phinisis. Group bookings have increased, according to Scott Dunn. In a recent survey, 30% of participants stated they were planning trips for 2024, which included beach vacations in Antigua and Barbados, adventure travel in South and Central America, and ski trips to France.
The number of empty-nesters is also increasing. Groups of couples in their 50s to 70s are renting villas for cultural weeks away during the shoulder season, and groups of all-female individuals, most of whom are between the ages of 50 and 65, are proactive in wanting to rekindle long-standing friendships. Several cancer survivors were part of one repeat group, according to Sarah-Leigh Shenton of Red Savannah. “They spent a deeply bonding afternoon in a Turkish hammam and have since gone to Jordan and Sicily together.”
AI wants to be your Friend
Which way is the trend going? Travelers began experimenting with AI chatbots to get ideas for where to go after OpenAI’s ChatGPT broke the record. As the fastest-growing consumer app ever at the beginning of last year. Major travel booking platforms have begun incorporating AI chatbots into the booking process more recently. If 2023 was the year that artificial intelligence chatbots wanted to organize your travel, then 2024 will be all about AI’s desire to be your traveling companion. As AI becomes more extensively incorporated into our travels, a wave of new AI-powered features and products seeks to support travelers on the ground while also generating concerns about potential negative effects.
Galaxy devices in 2024
Why is it important in 2024? In 2024, artificial intelligence will begin to interfere with our travels more in real time. Live translation is one useful example that Samsung intends to introduce with its Galaxy devices in 2024. Imagine being able to obtain information over the phone without having to worry about the staff’s language proficiency when you call a place you wish to visit. Increased AI personalization in well-known apps you already use is another example. Recently, Dara Khosrowshahi, the CEO of Uber, praised the company’s growing usage of personalized AI algorithms. These algorithms learn about your habits and offer recommendations based on your actions.
Real-time travel interventions could also entail giving up your screen completely and strapping a screenless personal translator. Also a travel assistant to your chest for those who truly are early adopters. The new talking and projecting AI Pin from Humane, a start-up funded by investors including Sam Altman of OpenAI. Is based on this novel concept and is expected to work similarly to Star Trek’s universal translator. Will people genuinely desire to wear the pin, or will it follow the path of other once-hyped gadgets like Google Glass? It undoubtedly brings up a number of moral concerns regarding data protection and privacy. However, travelers will become more dependent on AI products the more effectively they solve issues that arise when they are on the go.
Skip-generation journey
Which way is things trending? Skip-gen travel, or “skipping” a generation, is the term used to describe when grandparents take vacations with their grandchildren. Clio Wood, the founder of family retreat company & Breathe. Says she has received almost twice as many inquiries for grandchild/grandchild bookings in the last few months as she usually receives. “A growing number of grandparents are taking their grandchildren on vacation.” Concurs Ollie Summers, head of sales at upscale travel company Scott Dunn. “Frequently to locations that hold sentimental value for them.”
Why is it important in 2024? In 2024, a number of travel companies have designed itineraries especially to meet this demand. According to Liane Goldring of Mahlatini Luxury Travel, “skip-gen safaris are emerging as a micro-trend from the UK. Reflecting a niche traveler group now well established in the US luxury market.” In the meantime, Original Travel has relaunched its Bonding Holidays Collection. Featuring trips focused on discovering something new together, like its 14-day Family Ranching itinerary in the American West.
“The grandparents are usually in their 70s and still active enough to fully embrace a fully guided safari adventure.” A portion of this expansion can be ascribed to the fulfillment of expensive lockdown pledges. These days, parents are eager to take advantage of their parents’ time and childcare assistance, who are usually retired. Additionally, due to a combination of rising life expectancy and declining birthrates. There are more living grandparents than grandchildren on the planet than ever before.
Train travel is made more glamorous
Which way is things trending? As a result of growing environmental awareness and a resurgence of rail travel. The luxury train market is expanding to unprecedented levels of extravagance, popularity, and ambition. Online travel agencies are observing an increase in demand for luxury rail journeys where the journey itself is the destination. Actually, when it comes to the amenities and dining options. Modern train lines with innovative designs are starting to compete with the best hotels.
Why is it important in 2024? In 2024, a new wave of rail lines and itineraries that are increasingly off the beaten path will be introduced. With an emphasis on deeper immersion into the landscapes and cultures of the destinations. In response to the growing demand from its user base for luxury train travel. The specialized platform Railbookers intends to introduce what is likely the most costly and geographically extensive luxury train itinerary available. The eighty-day Around the World by Luxury Train journey. Will visit thirteen countries and four continents, with prices per person beginning at $113,599. Starting in August, the leisurely trip will connect already-existing luxury rail journeys such as the Rocky Mountaineer in Canada. Which travels from Vancouver to Jasper, and the Maharajas Express in India, which travels from Delhi to Mumbai.
Eastern & Asian Express, which was put on hold, is making a spectacular return in Asia starting in February. The famed route will be retraced through Malaysia’s scenic landscapes, and the carriages will receive an upscale makeover. In the meantime, demand for Japan’s picturesque train excursions, like those offered by the upscale Train Suite Shiki-shima, has caused it to swiftly close applications for its 2024 departures.
Hotels managed by restaurateurs
Which way is things trending? The hospitality industry is anchored by two key establishments: restaurants and hotels. Of course, the two are frequently combined on one set of premises. However, most hotels weren’t founded or owned by restaurateurs until recently. But it makes sense that restaurateurs are adding hotelier to their personal bios. Making sure their new properties have impressive food offerings—as food-focused travel keeps growing. With people yearning for the next hot reservation and basing entire trips around engaging with a culture through its food. As a precursor to the trend, we would be remiss to overlook Nobu. Which started out as a restaurant in 1994 before launching its global hotel brand in 2013.
Why is it important in 2024? In the same way that design companies like West Elm and Rohm have opened hotels recently. Restaurateurs are now joining the fray. Phoenix, Arizona-based restaurateur and 12-time James Beard. Award nominee Sam Fox recently opened five restaurants under the Global Ambassador brand in the US. Petit Soleil, a boutique hotel in the wine country of California, is being reopened by Santa Barbara’s Good Lion Hospitality.
Hotel & Club in San Diego
A new bar and restaurant are scheduled to open in the spring of 2019. The founder of a local hospitality group that runs sixteen bars and restaurants. Arsalun Tafazoli, opened the Lafayette Hotel & Club in San Diego last summer. There are currently five eateries and bars in the hotel, and two more will open before the year is out. Hôtel Swexan opened in June in Dallas, Texas. Harwood International is the owner of about twelve restaurants in the area.
Two hotels, the renovated Mammertsberg and Gasthaus Traube. Have recently been added to popular restaurants in the St. Gallen region of Switzerland. Sebastijan Raspopović, the son of chef Svetozar Raspopović-Pope of the well-known Gostilna AS restaurant in Lublijana, opened the AS Hotel in Slovenia. The hotel features a restaurant by Michelin-starred chef Ana Roš in addition to one by Raspopović-Pope. Finally, the renowned Chef’s Table at R48, which is part of the R2M Hospitality Group. Which also owns CoffeeBar and Herzl 16, opened in Tel Aviv last spring.
Traveling quietly
Which way is things trending? Silence from our travels in 2024 may be exactly what we need in an era of overstimulation. Silent travel is a more contemplative form of travel that gives you the opportunity to rejuvenate. And reset without making you need a vacation from your vacation. A growingly common wellness trend are silent meditation retreats. But silent travel also includes quiet hotels, remote nature resorts, sleep retreats, silent walking tours, and even silent concerts and discos.
Why is it important in 2024? With so much screen time and stress, a lot of us are searching for ways to unplug. With positive implications for wellbeing, the silent walking trend that recently went viral. TikTok reflects a growing desire to embrace the quiet and escape the cacophony of our tech-fueled lives. A 2015 study found that two minutes of silence before or after calming music. It enhanced the calming effects of the music, and another suggested that silence may help to stimulate brain development.
Global Wellness Institute predicts a 21% rise in wellness tourism
Stillness is the perfect antidote to the cacophony of our constantly connected lives. Especially since the Global Wellness Institute predicts a 21% rise in wellness tourism over the next two years. An additional step toward more environmentally friendly tourism is silent travel. For example, Quiet Parks International provides special nature experiences in designated quiet areas, minimizing noise pollution for the nearby wildlife.
Opportunities for quiet travel are abundant in 2024. Start the year off right by going on a silent retreat in Portugal (with Mandali) or Italy (with Innate). For those who are more daring, there is the serene Japanese Kumano Kodo trail and a Silence & Nature Tour. Takes you through Finland’s Arctic environment. Black Tomato’s Blink camp provides luxurious lodging in some of the most remote locations on earth. “For a personalized quiet experience.” And its Get Lost program helps you discover who you are by getting lost in a far-off place.
City gardens: Travel Trends
Which way is things trending? In an effort to keep us cooler, foster community. Even provide food, architects and planners are turning entire cities green. Forget about the biophilic office and those potted plants you always forget to water.
Why is it important in 2024? It’s a good idea to have gardens and trees in our cities. In the second century BC, King Nebuchadnezzar included his Hanging Gardens of Babylon. In the inaugural list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, indicating that he certainly felt so. These days, planting trees not only improves our cityscapes but also produces much-needed shade, stores carbon, and boosts biodiversity.
France is busily planting trees like there’s no tomorrow. While Valencia, an early adopter of urban greening with its 12km-long Turia Garden in 1986. Is the 2024 European Green Capital. When visiting Paris for the 2024 Olympics. You can see emerging new forests in the Charonne district, Place de Catalogne, and Place du Colonel-Fabien. Meanwhile, Bordeaux’s Grandeur Nature project features rain gardens, urban cooling islands, and micro-forests.
Temperatures as high as 111°F in 2023
Meanwhile, the new Salina Park in the seaside city of Larnaca opens in time for summer shade on the island of Cyprus. Which saw temperatures as high as 111°F in 2023. By the end of 2024, Rio’s Hortas Cariocas. The world’s largest urban vegetable garden that connects 56 community gardens in favelas and schools, will have been completed. It is a groundbreaking accomplishment.
Furthermore, the £1 billion Google building in King’s Cross, London, will demonstrate the potential of a single structure. It is hoped that Thomas Heatherwick’s “landscraper,” which is only 11 stories tall but extends farther than the Shard. Will serve as a model for other urban projects. A multi-level garden with wildflowers, lawns, and decked seating areas is located along the rooftop and is home to more than 250 trees and 55,000 plants. Can you make it work?
Tours behind the scenes
Which way is things trending? Greener hotels show us—rather than just telling us—what goes on behind the scenes to demonstrate their sustainability. Not just a peek at solar panels or composting. But hands-on tours that make us understand why it is important to promote tourism-based socioeconomic advancement. Through its impact fund, Blue Apple Beach invites visitors to South America. To get up close and personal with the community work it does in Colombia. Founder Portia Hart desired more from carbon offsetting than just gestures and tokens.
She wanted the community to determine how funds were allocated. The Bushcamp Company’s visitors make contributions to projects in Africa via the Luangwa Conservation and Community Fund. Exploring the boreholes that are installed with outreach funds is a popular excursion in Zambia. Visitors who spend time with those gathered get a very tangible insight into how such provisions funded by hospitality can literally change lives in regions most affected by global warming. Each pump provides fresh drinking water to hundreds of people every day.
Why is it important in 2024? With the implementation of the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and the impending official prohibition of “greenwashing,” transparency is surging. A year marked by heatwaves, floods, and droughts also serves as a reminder that we should plan our travels more carefully. It would be ideal if we could also receive a crash course in the sociology and science of positive impact. Experiences that show a great deal of respect for communities facing climate change and make their struggles relatable to tourists.
Untamed feasting
Which way is things trending? Has it ever occurred to you that food always tastes better outside? However, a lot of us are more accustomed to eating a sandwich while glued to a screen in today’s modern world. The term “wild feasting” refers to the current trend of exquisitely planned meals. Served in unspoiled settings that feature foraged and hyper-local ingredients. For instance, in Sweden you can access a network of DIY outdoor restaurants. Where you can reserve a table in a beautiful setting, forage for lingonberries, trumpet chanterelles, birch leaves, and nettles. Then cook them over an open flame using a recipe card given to you by a Michelin-starred chef.
Why is it important in 2024? More opportunities for wild feasting will allow urbanites to properly bond over food. Noah Ellis, the creator of Nomadic Dinners in the UK, is leading the way. “Since our launch in 2018, our feasting and foraging experiences have grown compound annual growth,” he says.
TikTok celebrity Alexis Nikole Nelson
He’ll be hosting a new series of fire feasts in 2024, one of which will be set amidst the bluebells. TikTok celebrity Alexis Nikole Nelson, also known as the Black Forager, is also capitalizing on the trend; in 2024. She will release a book on foraging for wild edibles. Remember that 2024 is your last chance to dine at Noma. The renowned restaurant in Copenhagen that specializes in foraging, before it closes and becomes a test kitchen.
Another trailblazer is Holmen Lofoten’s Kitchen On The Edge Of The World series. Which offers visitors to the Norwegian Arctic Circle four nights of extravagant feasts prepared by celebrity chefs. Lennox Hastie, José Pizarro, and Heidi Bjerkan will be among them in 2024. As Ingunn Rasmussen, the proprietor of Holmen Lofoten. Puts it, “One of the absolute highlights, both for our guests and for us. Gathering around a bonfire in the wilderness, sharing stories, and feasting under the stars in these magical, remote surroundings.”
Plan-free vacation
Which way is the trend going? Choosing to embrace spontaneity and say no to the constant scrolling to meticulously plan every detail of a trip. The era of FOMO travel is losing its power as a result of those once-secret locations. Becoming overly commercialized and cliched, and the desire to schedule a trip around them is dwindling. Traveling without any plans at all is the growing counter movement.
Why is it important in 2024? In 2024, the plan-free appeal will advance even further. According to a recent Booking.com survey, 50% of travelers from the UK want to plan a surprise trip in 2024. Where the itinerary—including the destination—is kept a secret until they arrive. You can also do it through travel agencies like Black Tomato. Whose Get Lost service lets users choose between a polar, jungle, desert, mountain, or coastal setting and lets its staff figure out the rest. Co-founder of Black Tomato Tom Marchant states. “Since we launched Get Lost a few years ago, we’ve seen a notable and rising uptick in bookings and enquiries post-pandemic.”
Similar elements of surprise are provided by Journee, where passengers only learn their destination at the airport. The service, which comes with a complete itinerary and Whatsapp access to a team, is especially well-liked by female travelers traveling alone. And demand has increased to the point where the London-based company recently started offering trips to the US.
Travel Trends to the frontier
Which way is things trending? to surpass expectations. or beneath and below. While traffic jams form on Everest and crossing the turbulent Drake Passage to Antarctica garner millions of TikTok views. Astute travelers are searching for more personalized, less evident experiences that merge thrill-seeking with deeper self-empowerment.
Why is it important in 2024? Naturally, one person’s boundary is another’s backyard, so boundaries are wholly arbitrary in this context. For some, this might entail being the first to hike an old pilgrimage route that has been lost to time for centuries or camp out under the stars in a secluded area. Being one of the 12 guests to explore a game park the size of Belgium. On a Kamba African Rainforest Experience in the Republic of the Congo is still a possibility.
Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas
Meanwhile, Black Tomato is planning a new, daring expedition to the isolated Mitre Peninsula in Argentina and a rafting trip through Peru’s Sacred Valley of the Incas. Co-founder of Black Tomato Tom Marchant says. “This kind of adventure goes beyond bragging rights and is more akin to self-empowerment and the gratification of pushing our own horizons.” The Ultimate Travel Company is also going to Peru, a nation that is redefining itself for high-end tourists. They will be staying at Puqio, the company’s first tented exploration camp. Which is located in the isolated Colca Valley in the Southern Andes of Peru.
According to Wild Frontiers, yurt stays on the steppes are expected to be popular in Kyrgyzstan in 2024, along with Mongolia. Meanwhile, more and more tourists are considering visiting Albania, Mongolia, Pakistan, and Oman’s Empty Quarter. For New Year’s Eve 2024 and 2025, the space-age pods of White Desert have already sold out. But modern-day explorers can choose a less-traveled route and explore the southern coast of the frozen continent. (99% of visitors come from South America and head northwest) with The Ultimate Travel Company’s new Ross Sea cruises. Which offer views of the Transantarctic Mountains and the Ross Ice Shelf.
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