Top Travel Trends for 2019
Find out the biggest travel trends for this year, from Dark Tourism across the globe to help the world through Eco-Tourism.
It feels like last year everyone was on their way to Thailand, Bali or on an American Road Trip but this year there is much more in store for the travel scene. Travel is getting more adventurous and we (and our Instagram followers) are ready for it! This year is all about new and real experiences through travel, so get ready because we’re about to spark your wanderlust for 2019.
1.Dark Tourism
Abandoned School in Chernobyl
Thanks to the very popular Netflix series, ‘Dark Tourist’, we will see a huge rise in dark tourism for 2019.
What is Dark Tourism?
If you love to travel and experience other cultures, you might have already got yourself caught up in dark tourism…you might already be a dark tourist. Have you ever been to a war museum or memorial? What about the Berlin Wall or a Concentration Camp in Germany? The 9/11 Memorial in New York? Well, each of these are linked to a dark time in history and therefore it finds itself a tourist hot spot that we all end up popping on our travel bucket lists aka…Dark Tourism.
Some of the best places for dark tourism this year:
- Chernobyl, Ukraine
- Pompeii Volcano Creeks, Italy
- Aokigahara, Japan
- 9/11 Memorial, New York
- Auschwitz, Poland
These dark tourism destinations will be the perfect addition to your adventures this year!
2. Lesser-Known Europe
Bremen Town Square, Germany
As always, Europe is stealing the hearts of many this year but in a very different way! People are going off the beaten track to get a more unique experience of European culture. Think small towns in Belarus and Bremen. Never heard of them? Well not for long, they’re sure to be checked out this year as more and more travellers look for authentic trips away from the classic tourist routes.
If you want to jump on this travel trend straight away, here are some of our top picks for exploring lesser-known Europe:
- Piran, Slovenia
- Lake Komani, Albania
- Cuenca, Spain
- Berat, Albania
- Minsk, Belarus
- Bremen, Germany
This is the perfect year to stop following the crowds and discover where to travel in Europe to experience something different!
3. Wellness Travel
Yoga Retreat on Mountain Top
There is nothing like getting away and completely switching off from reality, escaping from any pressures or stresses. This is a big trend for 2019 because we work hard. Although busy weekend city getaways always seem like fun, we return home and often feel like we need another holiday just to recover. That’s what Wellness Travel is for, it’s to help your mental and physical health and it promotes health and wellbeing. Ultimately, the end goal for these trips is to come out of it feeling better than when you went in.
The term ‘Wellness Travel’ may sound new but it’s actually been around for years in the form of yoga retreats, spa holidays and walking holidays. They come in different shapes and sizes to suit you but in the end, they help you mentally and physically which we all need a bit of right now in a crazy fast-paced world. Sounds like the perfect escape from reality, exactly what travel is meant to be.
4. Business + Leisure = Bleisure
Business Man Travelling
It’s simple mathematics really. Business travellers are seeing business trips as travel opportunity and extending their corporate travel to accommodate for a bit of leisure too. Going away for 5 days with work? Why not book to stay for the weekend to take in the city? Or, you could make sure to take in the culture in the evening when you’re off the clock – no need to stay confined to the hotel lobby for a drink.
5. Destination Unknown Holidays
Map of Ethiopia
Much like the cheesy pop song, this travel trend is a hit. Millennials all around the world are leaving their fate up to the travel gods as they press pay without knowing where they’re travelling to with a surprise destination holiday! This popular trend for 2019 will surprise avid travellers as they jet off on mystery holidays and truly discover somewhere new. Most sites, like srprs.me, give the option to blacklist destinations either you don’t want to go to or have already been to. This way you get a completely unique trip to somewhere half decent but adds that bit of fun before the surprise destination reveal. Just set your budget and times then you’re good to go! Will you take the risk?
6. Instagrammable Destinations
Couple Paddle boarding in the Maldives
It’s undeniable that Instagram is the top platform for showing off your best moments when you travel, with millions of posts under #travel. You can watch thousands of people jet off every day in their Instagram stories and get inspired by the squares on their feed. Inspiration is everywhere…especially Instagram and people are falling for this trend. This trend makes the most of pretty floral walls and the most ‘grammable’ restaurants and cafes around the world. The average photo just won’t do any more when millennials travel, it has to be you in front of the Eiffel Tower with macaroons so make sure you do a quick google search when you plan your activities if you want to stay on top of this trend. Instagram destinations are coming and you should be #prepared…
7. Eco-Tourism
Hut in the Middle of a Forrest
Instagram pictures aside, this is a truly motivating travel trend for 2019. It is defined as “responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involved interpretation and education.” (TIES, 2015). While this is an important part of eco-tourism there is also a rise is travelling with a conscience.
It’s a truly inspiring movement we are heading into in the world of travel, one we could all do with being influenced by. It allows both visitors and host destination to have a positive experience as well as build cultural awareness and respect.
A lot of millennials are on the search for companies that care in the same way that they do about sustainability. It’s simply just travelling with a conscience. A third of travellers now look for a company that is sustainable when planning their next trip. So, let’s join together in trying to travel better to help the world we want to explore.
8. Family Sabbaticals
Family on Holiday
Calling all families that want to just pack up and go, this could be your year! Families have been doing it for years, and people are starting to see the benefits of this by packing up both themselves and their families to see the bigger picture together. Alongside this commitment obviously comes with learning on the go for kids and home-schooling as an option. It’s providing an adventure to family life and embracing the complete freedom together. A new term has even been invented, ‘edventure’, the combination of education and adventure working together in harmony. All of the travel quotes say it, “You get educated by traveling” or “The best education I have ever received was through travel.” (Lisa Ling)…so why not try it out in 2019!?
9. Solo Travel: Females & Co-Living
Female Solo Traveller Looking Over a City Sunset
All the solo ladies, please stand up! This is your year. Females are travelling alone more and more and many of them on their own. This form of independence is loved, the feeling of being in your own room and getting to pick exactly where to eat and what to do. It sounds dreamy! We love the thought of females going it alone but there are also a few tips and tricks to take with you on your way, a safety thing really. So you should check out our Solo Travel Tips before you jet off!
Another trend for the solo travel scene is co-living. This allows travellers to use shared spaces in order to have authentic experiences with other travellers and the community. It is basically what hostels have been doing for years but top-end hotels and rentals will be doing the exact same. This is the year to embrace the hostel lifestyle, but whilst keep calling it co-living!
10. Adventurous Couples Travel
Adventurous Couple Overlooking a Lake
When you think couples travel your mind might be brought to a romantic beachy holiday with good food and drinks…but this year that will change. Couples are looking for an adventure together that challenge them, from exploring Iceland in the freezing cold Winter to camping out on Safari in Africa. Couples are seeking experiences that will bring them closer together in their relationships, so this trend is also influencing the honeymoon scene too. It seems like couples are craving some pretty epic adventures together this year, and we’re on board too!