How Early 2020 Travel Trends Will Be MORE True Post-Pandemic

(Edit: Oh, 2020…we didn’t know you had the novel coronavirus and pandemic in store for us. While the majority of travel is on hold for the better part of this year, these travel trends are EVEN MORE TRUE POST-PANDEMIC! Keep them in mind when you’re ready to go forward!)

Not all travel trends are created equal. While nakations, vegan hotels, and space tourism are all trending, most travelers still aren’t stripping down or signing up for sub-orbital flights. But there are several travel trends in 2020 that may just give you new ideas.

Flight Shame and “New” Transport

Meet this year’s leader in travel trends. The climate change discussion is raging and the travel sector has an obvious investment in the world’s well-being. Ever since Greta Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic, travelers have begun to question the eco-impacts of their flights. Flight shame in travel media is a thing, leaving many agonizing over seeing or saving the world they love experiencing. 

How this travel trend impacts you:

Flights will go on and it’s ok if you’re on them. But train travel is an emerging darling with new looks on both speedy rails that get you to destinations with little hassle and luxury lines or epic journeys that are the trip in themselves. As a result of the pandemic, train lines are putting in new hygienic practices and spacing with their larger cabins. If you’re a cruiser, more eco-friendly options are bursting onto the scene. Lines like Virgin’s new Voyages are gearing towards turning old cruise stereotypes upside down as the gear towards a hipster crowd. Even the classic road-trip is getting a fresh look as people embrace slower travel (and post-stay-at-home orders, the safest option to stay socially distanced.) In short, don’t count on flights getting cheaper but other modes of transport are getting a lot more attractive. 

Slow Travel

This trend isn’t about moving slowly, but sticking to one space and place and settling in instead of a blitz of 10 cities in 12 days. More travelers are wanting to experience a place and culture versus seeing a spot. Travelers are turning towards homestays, house rentals, and even rural locations and away from packaged tours that keep them moving. 

How this travel trend impacts you:

Classic tour giants from a few decades are dying or dead (RIP Thomas Cook tours), and most tour company survivors are moving away from doing eight countries in as many days. Most companies are sticking to one region with a niche theme (biking, wine tasting, history, culinary.) Of course, you can still do a bag-and-grab of bucket list stops with your time off, but consider slowing down your itinerary and experiencing a place more thoroughly. It’s hard for me, but one of the things travel does is provide a break from a hurried life. And it doesn’t have a chance to do that if I’m rushing around. This one’s a resolution for me when travel resumes, both for physical and mental health, and I’m going to check out homestays and rentals with good hygiene practices to try to save some money and stick in one place. 

Heritage Travel

While traveling to explore our roots is not new, the ever-growing popularity of home DNA tests has made it even easier to capture the age-old travel goal to find ourselves. Airbnb’s partnership with 23andme opened the door for individualized vacation packages that go beyond a country tour and pare down to a person’s exact story. There is no sign of these slowing as we seek connections.

How this travel trend impacts you:

It’s never been easier to get the details on your ancestry and plan a trip accordingly. Airbnb will give you a curated list of experiences and places to stay with your genealogy results from 23andme. Ancestry.com has joined in the fun with Go Ahead Tours, and we can expect more will jump on this trend. So if you want a heritage trip but don’t want the hassle of figuring it all out, it’s easier than ever to get anything from a self-paced journey to a full-blown package.

Tiny Trips or Microcations

Americans, in particular, weren’t taking vacation hours before the pandemic. Even those with paid time off aren’t using their days, saying they are unable to get away from work. The sad truth is that corporate culture leaves little room for a long getaway and certainly not for multiple trips. Tiny trips, or “microcations,” allow workers to spread out several smaller breaks (often long weekends) throughout a year. 

How this travel trend impacts you:

For goodness sakes, whether you travel or not, please take your paid time off if you have it! Spreading out several smaller breaks throughout the year can certainly be satisfying. When we do start to travel again, experts all say most of us will start locally, within our area or region. This works beautifully for a long weekend.

More travel publications are gearing up “72-hour” guides for engaging cities and these tips will help you make the most of your long weekend getaway. If you want to get away but you’re not sure where to go, Pack Up and Go is genius. This surprise travel agency takes your budget and interests into account and plans a secret, three day weekend for you. You get some basic info on the week of travel and your details right before you go!

Booking Direct

Slowly, and a bit under the radar, the airlines and hotels are catching up technologically with the search engine algorithms. While the travel third-party search engines get more and more numerous and complex, now you can get the same prices or cheaper if you go direct to the source. And to sweeten the pot, the giants in airlines and accommodations are adding bonuses that only they can to grab your booking. 

How this travel trend impacts you:

Two words: check direct. If you find a better price on a third-party site, ask the airline or hotel if they will match it (they almost always will.) When you book direct you have a better chance of having any issues worked out and are more eligible for perks. In fact, many hotel lines are building a whole host of perks that only direct bookers access, regardless of point status within the chain. So build points, cut the hassle, and maybe even save money and just check directly too. 

There will be a time to roam and explore again. It won’t look like it did, at least not at first, but adventure still awaits. Whether you embrace the travel trends or go your own way, take your time and go on your travels when it’s safe to resume. Start small, explore local, and soak in the moments we get to have again.

What’s on your backyard bucket list?

May the road rise to meet you, travelers, and may your journeys be fulfilling.

(Make sure to save this post with the pin below for when you’re ready to start traveling!)