When we look back in time, we see that many travel trends popped up during the course of the year through which we were introduced to different types of travel, ranging from responsible, hard-to-imagine, and exciting all at the same time. Here’s a look at the top travel trends in 2024 that defined travel for us.
Shoulder season
It is a tourism fad that acquired momentum among travellers in 2024. This is essentially organising your trip between a destination’s peak season and its off-season, which often falls either in the spring or autumn. It appears to be more than a trend but rather a strategy for those seeking cost-effective travel, allowing for more reasonable accommodations, seamless transportation, less crowded attractions, and pleasant weather resulting in a hassle-free trip where you could genuinely enjoy yourself.
Slowmadism
This trend could be defined as the outcome of the stress and unrest, which have become the norm and the most natural element of our hectic and fast-paced lives. It fundamentally encourages a conscious attitude to travel, with a focus on sustainable behaviours. It is a method of meaningful and long-term travel in which the primary goal is to have the most real experience in the selected location rather than seeing as much of it as possible. It is simply taking your time when travelling, whether for a few days or months, to form a deeper connection with the places and people you visit.
The “slowmads” are basically digital nomads (those who work remotely while travelling the world, utilising the internet and technology to do their jobs) who prioritise meaningful experiences above hasty itineraries. They like to visit less popular tourist areas that are calm and green by travelling like a local rather than a tourist, such as eating at local restaurants and riding local public transportation.
Rawdogging
This may appear strange, but it began when passengers started opting to forego all forms of in-flight entertainment in favour of merely gazing out the window and contemplating their thoughts for the duration of the ride. This includes no movies, music, reading, or playing games. In extreme cases, rawdogging a flight may include not sleeping, eating, snacking, or even drinking water once you're seated, which can pose major issues such as limiting blood flow by not moving around at all on a long-period flight. On the contrary, some argue that by doing away with distractions, they are practicing presence of mind. The other names of this trend are “bareback” and “flying raw.”
Hobbiday
Hobbiday, a combination of the terms “hobby” and “holiday,” may pass for this year’s most popular travel style. In essence, travellers arrange the trips with their particular interests or “hobbies” in mind, which differ from person to person and may include cooking, photography, writing, and so on. Hobbidays give you the chance and time to focus on your leisure pursuits that would be difficult for you to run after every day.
Menopause retreats
Among the trends that surfaced in the travel sector in the year 2024 was menopause retreats, which are primarily designed to assist women during their perimenopause (which, according to Mayo Clinic, is the time during which your body makes the natural transition to menopause, marking the end of the productive years) and menopause changeover periods, with many travel companies, resorts, and others offering specialised packages that include a variety of treatments, therapies, and even nutritional advice directed at balancing the mind, body, nervous system, and regulating hormones.
Screen-inspired travel
This travel frenzy is all about people becoming attracted to and visiting locations shown in movies and television series. For instance, Emily in Paris is a Netflix series that popularised varied Parisian sites among its viewers, the most popular of which is the Jardin du Palais Royal. Another example is that people dream of visiting Manali in Himachal Pradesh and Udaipur in Rajasthan after watching Ranbir-Deepika’s film Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.
Spiritual tourism
Spiritual tourism is not something new. It has been around for a long time, maybe ages, and comes in two distinct types. The first being pilgrimage, where people travel to a holy site for religious or spiritual purposes, and the next is the journey taken to visit religious structures and artefacts as a form of sightseeing. The phenomenon is known by several other names as well, including religious tourism, sacred tourism, and faith tourism.
Destination dupes
Destination duping is a trend in which travellers look for destinations that give them the same atmosphere and experience as a famous destination but are less expensive and congested. People go to Gokarna or Pondicherry instead of the crowded and pricey Goa in search of a similar mood and exposure.
Sleep tourism
As the name suggests, sleep tourism refers to travels that travellers take in order to revitalise themselves and get uninterrupted rest, or sleep, to be more specific. It is sometimes called “napcations” or “nap holidays” too.
Gig-tripping
Sounds like something puzzling? Don’t worry; it’s just another travel fad, also referred to as event-based tourism, where music lovers and fans plan a vacation in order to witness their favourite singers perform in various cities or countries at concerts or music festivals.
