The year 2020 will be a year of travel discovery and exploration, says Cruise Planners representatives. And these experiences range by demographics and travel styles.
“The constant FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is very real and afflicts many travelers and aspiring travelers especially with the ‘Insta-effect’ of today’s social media driven generation,” says Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative in press materials. “Instagram has changed how people are traveling.”
According to Cruise Planners, as a result of FOMO, travelers are now moving toward JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) by switching off their devices to take a digital detox and staying off social media accounts for short periods of time. They realized the constant fear of missing out and racing through as much as possible is actually making them miss out on their own lives.
1. The Art of Slow Travel
In 2020, responsible travelers will focus on sustainable travel. Travelers want time to slow down to make the most of each moment of their vacation. They would rather focus on an unforgettable journey, such as taking a longer scenic route on iconic trains (think Venice Simplon-Orient Express, Royal Scotsman, Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express, Blue Train), exploring lesser known cities to limit their impact on the environment (such as heading to Osaka instead of Tokyo, Marseille instead of Paris, Belfast instead of Dublin), and are also looking for ways to disconnect on castaway vacations—a getaway to secluded islands (for instance Vieques Island off mainland Puerto Rico, Salema located three hours from Lisbon, Portugal, or Vinh Hy Bay located away from busy Hanoi, Vietnam).
2. Location Vacation
Travelers are set-jetting to iconic locations inspired by their favorite movies or shows. Travelers are being inspired from watching a good movie or show, especially when it to takes them to corners of the earth they’ve never seen before where breathtaking scenery transports them to other worlds with the power to make them believe in magic. The hit HBO show “Game of Thrones” was filmed in Croatia, Spain, Iceland, Northern Ireland and other stunning destinations, “Crazy Rich Asians” inspired travel to Singapore and Malaysia, while “Star Wars” alien worlds of a galaxy far, far away can be found in real-life in Norway, Spain, Ireland and other beautiful locations.
3. Tasty Travels
The power of food brings people together no matter where they are in the world. These food-inspired experiences are a bonding experience, and a way to learn about people with different traditions, culture and heritage. Culinary travel is truly the universal language and a way for travelers to have an authentic experience. Travelers can take part in cooking classes, eat in locals’ homes, visit the vibrant street food scene or food truck craze, dine at Michelin-starred restaurants, underground restaurants and supper clubs, and pop up dinners at unusual locations with guest celebrity chefs, farm-to-table visits, truffle hunting and more culinary experiences.
4. Family Ed-Venture
Family vacations have changed and emerged as nomadic sabbaticals. Families are packing up their life to make their family mobile and setting off on an adventure to see the world. With the advancement of technology to be able to work remotely (and quit your 9 to 5) and the rise of homeschooling and virtual schools, the dreams of traveling the globe for an extended trip is now possible. Families have the freedom to hop from destination to destination. Not only do families get to spend more time together, but parents can also educate and expose their children to different cultures and traditions to help them become better global citizens.
5. Glorious “Gramping” Getaways
Gramping getaways allow grandparents to create memories with their grandchildren.
Skip-gen (skip-a-generation) travel, grandcation or gramping isn’t new, but the demand is growing as more grandparents are looking forward to traveling alone and creating memories with their grandchildren while leaving their children (the parents) at home. Travel companies are taking notice and have expanded their family-friendly programs with special activities appealing to a diverse range of interest and fitness levels. Expeditions with children to the Galapagos or Antarctica was once unheard of and is poised to take the top spot in adventure travel, while an African sojourn will remain a favorite milestone trip because there is something unique about going on a safari and seeing animals up close. These types of trips are inspiring curiosity as more children are becoming global explorers and traveling with their grandparents.
6. The Next Generation of Travel
Each generation’s traveling style is wildly different from the previous generations. According to Cruise Planners, Baby Boomers tend to stay closer to home, X’ers enjoy adventure and luxury travel, Millennials demand memorable moments and authentic experiences, while today’s youth, the Gen Z’s are budget conscious and trying to make a difference in the world.
As of 2020, the breakdown of age looks like this:
- Boomers born between 1944 and 1964 are between 56-76 years old
- Gen X born between 1965 and 1979 are between 41-55 years old
- Gen Y a.k.a. Millennials born between 1980 and 1994 are between 26-40 years old
- Gen Z travelers born between 1995 and 2015 are now between 5-25 years old.
Fee adds, “Travel is the ultimate experience. It has the power to connect and bind us together more than almost any other thing in life. A veil is lifted every time we travel and interact with others who are not that much different from ourselves. Let 2020 be your year of travel discovery and exploration.”
For more information, visit cruiseplanners.com.
