Hot & Happening Travel Trends
with Travel Expert Kelley Austin of Cruise Planners
It’s not hard to get “stuck” planning your next vacation. Often, travelers will repeat the same type of trip or same destination simply because they don’t know what else to do or where else to go. It doesn’t matter if you are planning a family vacation, couples’ vacation, or a solo vacation, sometimes the idea of what to do can be daunting. Perhaps one of these travel trends will inspire your next vacation idea.
- Skip-Gen Travel Skip-Gen Travel has become one of the top family travel trends for 2019 and shows no signs of slowing down for 2020. Skip-Gen travel is when grandparents take the grandkids on a travel adventure leaving the parents behind. Not only does this offer the grandparents a unique opportunity to bond and make memories with their grandchildren, it gives the parents some guilt-free alone time. Skip-Gen travelers are visiting all corners of the earth having experiences that will live in their hearts and memories forever.
- Holiday Travel Everyone has heard the phrase “Home for the Holidays”, the trending term this year is “Getaway for the Holidays”. Visiting centuries old Christmas Markets in Europe on a river cruise is one of the top cruise travel trends. All of the major river cruise lines have added itineraries and ships to keep up with the demand. Families are flocking to ocean cruises and all-inclusive resorts as a way to simplify and minimize the stress of holiday preparations. The holiday cruises and resort occupancies are at record levels and are expected to remain strong for 2020 holiday season.
- Character Travel Who doesn’t love a good character? Obviously, everyone has heard of that famous mouse, but we are seeing an increase in character experiences requested by a broad range of family members. In the past, character interactions were a great “extra” on vacation, they have now become the focus for many vacationers. Disney recently introduced Star Wars Land at Disney Land California in May and is set to open their billion-dollar Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Walt Disney World Florida on August 29, 2019. Carnival Cruise Lines features The Cat in the Hat, and Sesame Street characters reside at Beaches Resorts. Beaches resorts have earned the distinction of Certified Autism Centers and feature the Sesame Street Character Julia, who is autistic. Harry Potter fans can have a character breakfast or meet and greet experiences at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. Character experiences allow the young and young at heart to meet and interact with their favorite characters while enjoying themed activities and action-packed entertainment.
- Solo travel Solo travelers rejoice! Single-moon’s are a hot trend for solo travelers of all ages. Select cruise lines feature studio cabins or waiver single supplements and offer meet ups for solo cruisers. There are also guided tour companies that will now do roommate matching as a way to avoid the solo supplement. Many of the adult-only all-inclusive resorts (not to be confused with couples only resorts) have an active social atmosphere and are well suited to solo travelers.
- Health & Wellness Travel Health and wellness travel is another trend gaining popularity. Everything from spa retreats or bike tours around the world to soaking your cares away in a thermal spa, health and wellness are at the forefront of travel. More cruise lines are offering active shore excursions like bike tours, hiking trips, onboard TRX, and yoga classes. One of the river cruise lines is known for their onboard bicycles on their ships throughout Europe. Wellness resorts or wellness activities at resorts offer a great way to experience popular destinations in a completely different way. If you enjoy yoga, pool yoga might just be for you. They have floating yoga mats and certified yoga instructors teach yoga in the pool.
The world is meant to be explored, memories are waiting to be created. Hopefully one or more of these trends will inspire you to experience your travels just a bit differently.
Happy and Safe travels!
