As always, travel is evolving to match the changing world. Virtuoso polls its advisors each fall to find out what we see as the upcoming trends in the industry. While family travel remains big, and wellness gains traction, there’s also a big surge in remote lands. What are the top travel trends for 2018?
Travel trends for 2018
From getting away from it all to sharing the experience with the entire family, here are a few travel trends and experiences that will be popular in the coming year.
Wellness
More and more travellers are focusing not so much on getting to a particular destination but a particular state of mind. Dozens of Virtuoso-preferred resorts and cruise lines are putting an emphasis on helping their guests restore mind, body, and spirit. Using spa treatments, fitness activities, nutrition, and education, these preferred partners enable travellers to achieve or restore balance in their lives. The results mean travellers come home feeling refreshed and more connected to the world around them.
If you want to take wellness one step further, choose a Virtuoso property dedicated to nutrition and weight loss.
Adventure
Another way to escape the everyday and experience the beauty of the world is to go to remote places and challenge yourself. Whatever is on your bucket list, there is a Virtuoso-preferred partner specialising in that exact type of experience. Want to go to the middle of nowhere? Black Tomato offers a Get Lost Experience. Travellers arrive at the airport without knowing where they are going, get dropped in a remote area, and are tasked with finding their way out. There is a team tracking your progress, and you have all the necessary supplies, so you’re in no danger of being stranded. But you’ll need to journey into yourself to find your way out.
Local immersion
Living like a local means immersing yourself in a destination. Where you eat, to where you shop, to, increasingly, where you stay all have plenty to add to the journey. Travellers seeking authentic experiences might choose to stay off the beaten track, rather than a five star hotel. Utilising the vast resources of the Virtuoso network, you can have a home away from home. These properties are all properly vetted and arranged through secure channels. Many of these villas and apartments offer amenities such as housekeeping, butler service, and a private chef. From a villa in Tuscany to an apartment in New York City, there is a place for you in more than 180 destinations worldwide.
Multigenerational travel
There are over 70 million Baby Boomers, those who were born between 1946 and 1964. People are also living longer. A multigenerational trip is no longer just grandparents, parents, and kids. It’s also the kids’ kids, making these trips four generations of family. As our schedules only get busier, taking time to spend with family is high on everyone’s bucket list. Popular destinations include Alaskan cruises, Italian villas, and African safaris.
These travel trends focus on experiences, rather than destinations. Stay tuned for a post about the destination trends for 2018 – and know that they’ll align with this list pretty closely!
