Travel is booming! Not only are the cashed up retirees of the grey nomad ilk hitting the well-worn travel path, the younger crowd of twenty somethings have decided to see the world before financial responsibility, in the form of mortgages and marriages and all that goes with that, has to be taken too seriously.
Travel companies are catering for all types of travellers, from five star luxury accommodation and cruise packages with the necessary thread counts, to experiencing and sharing life with friendly locals in remote villages. Travel is always on trend, so it is best to keep up to date with what is on offer.
Passbook app
Already embraced by major airlines such as Lufthansa and American, this new electronic passbook app will manage your hotel bookings and airline reservations. It will also electronically hold your travel vouchers, flight boarding passes and accommodation receipts. Once you have mastered this handy app, you will find you have a lot less paperwork and cards to carry around. Check out the array of passoupons available, which are simply digital coupons that will show up on your phone automatically.
Cruise lines
Traditionally, you could cruise the South Pacific, around the world, the Greek Islands and many other set cruise destinations. Cruise companies are now branching out into unchartered waters, so to speak, and countries like Burma, Java and Langkawi in Malaysia are popping up on itineraries. Serial cruisers either repeat the same cruise year after year, or prefer to broaden their options and cruise into new territories.
Adventure travel
With itinerant travellers making up a big portion of the travel population, travel agents now have to provide authentic experiences incorporating back to nature and local life encounters. Adventure tourism, eco-tourism and voluntourism are all in demand. All budgets are well catered for with travellers being able to just be a tourist visiting an off the beaten track village, tackling construction hands on to make life better for a remote village or visiting wildlife sanctuaries. This type of travel benefits the traveller and the ultimate destination. Of course, trekking through spectacular virgin scenery is a bonus.
Lighten your travel footprint
With so many people travelling every day, many have a desire to travel ‘green’. The United States Green Building Council, after much investigation, awards LEED certification to appropriate hotels and airports. Currently, there are 158 LEED certified hotels worldwide. Airports such as California and San Francisco contain facilities that are LEED certified. Airlines are staying on trend by changing travel routes and testing biofuels. Many cities are using hybrid or electric taxis.
Tailor made travel is easier than you think. Have a look at myadventurestore.com where travel arrangements can be adapted to suit preferences such as the environment, nature and culture experiences, responsible or green travel and active tourism. Traveller’s expectations are changing; customised personalised travel is what many holidaymakers are now looking for. Emerging markets such as India, China and Brazil are taking advantage of the latest travel trends and adapting what their country offers to entice the flourishing travel market.
By Zoe Hilton