After a year of drought in the travel industry, there are many speculations as to how this year will actually unfold. Will 2021 be the year where travel makes a big comeback? Or will we take it slow and stay close to home? While it’s impossible to predict the future, I’d like to share my five scents on the topic. Here are my 5 travel trend predictions for 2021 and beyond.
Are you ready? Let’s go!
Trend #1: Remote destinations
“Go where you’ve never been before” – does that sound enticing? Well, you might just in 2021. Gone are the days of over-crowded market places, restaurants and sightseeing spots – what was once charming, is now a dreadful scenario for many. Paris will always be Paris, but new destinations are on the rise; places with lesser crowds and more space. According to National Geographic, these count Argentina, Alaska, Dominica, Canada, Georgia as well as, of course, Australia. Where will you go? I have Norway, Eastern Europe and Switzerland on my list!
The unpolluted blue skies and birdsong are likely to have struck a chord with many, and it could be a promising moment for companies advocating a more considered approach to travel.
Jenny Southan, Condé Nast Traveller
Trend #2: Sustainable travel
One of the things we’ve learned from 2020 is that things can quickly change – for good. That generally makes us more considerate to the environment, e.g. when choosing destination, hotel and transportation. We want to support good causes, green initiatives and sustainable concepts. Hotels must have their green key’s in place, we’re eager to visit eco destinations and generally put our money where it matters. Although traveling per say isn’t sustainable, more people will try to reduce their carbon footprint when traveling. A great deal will also stay closer to home, which in itself is more sustainable.
Trend #3: Change of expectations for transportation
A regular price war between airlines was taking place prior to Covid-19. More often that not, it was possible to get flight tickets for less than what a bus- or train ticket would cost. Moving forward, more people will most likely opt for land-based transportation instead in order to avoid crowds. Of course we’ll continue to fly, especially to far away destinations, but we’re lowering our expectations for transportation. Trains with spacious seating capacity will be in high demand as will traveling by car.
Trend #4: Stay healthy
Safe health practices will be one of the most prominent factors for travellers to consider in the years to come. Not only are we thinking more about keeping social distance; we’re also more observant on the cleanliness of accommodation providers. We’ll bring along hand sanitiser and masks as we venture out into the world again, and health is generally a bigger theme for us than ever before. Our concern for health brings me to another coming trend, which is “wellness travel”, but I’ll save that for another post.
Trend #5: Less is more
Fewer trips, but grander. That could be one of the motto’s for 2021 and beyond. If we travel, we want to fully emerge ourselves into the experience – go somewhere we’ve never been before, explore unknown territories and completely switch off. On the other hand, we’ll most likely travel a little less than what we used to. Personally, I’m fine switching a few weekend trips for longer periods of travel. How about you?
Less is more.
(Trend #6: Technology. I’ll save that for a different post)😉
