Gennady Podolsky, a renowned global travel concierge, predicts the travel trends that will guide world travelers into 2024 and beyond.
In the 21st-century travel landscape, “splurging on vacation” has taken on an entirely new meaning. Historically, a travel splurge may have involved an upgrade from a patio room to a suite with a view. Alternatively, an airline passenger might have upgraded from a leg-crunching economy seat to a luxurious business-class or first-class experience.
Now, adventurous travelers are embracing brand-new vacation experiences while taking existing ones up several notches. Here, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky profiles eight intriguing trends travelers can expect to encounter in 2024. Some travel experiences first emerged in 2023 while others are making their debut in the vacation travel marketplace.
In 2023, a catchy new term emerged in the travel landscape. “Set-jetting” is expected to gain in popularity in 2024. Here, a traveler books a vacation to a destination they’ve seen in a movie or television show. In fact, a surprisingly large percentage of travelers have researched or actually booked a “set-jetting” trip.
Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky describes the “set-jetting” phenomenon’s market power. Several popular TV series have sparked high levels of interest in each show’s city or country locale.
In fact, 200% and 300% increases in travel demand for those areas are fairly common. Travelers should consider whether this sudden growth in destination popularity will negatively impact the quality of their vacation experiences.
With much of the United States entering the colder winter months, a warm-weather vacation likely appeals to some aspiring travelers. However, many global cities and regions have recently experienced warmer-than-normal summers. As a result, more travelers in these (and other) areas are now searching for cool-weather vacation spots.
Not surprisingly, too-toasty travelers are searching for vacation destinations centered around water. Many water lovers tout its relaxation benefits while some travelers crave high-octane watery adventures. SCUBA diving, kayaking, and other boat-based vacations remain in demand.
However, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky says these getaways are just the tip of the iceberg. Travelers now gravitate to ice bath therapy and snow meditation. Floating yoga and underwater hotels continue to gain popularity. Looking at the bigger picture, travelers of all stripes appear to be drawn to water’s calming, yet energizing benefits.
Culinary aficionados often book vacations centered around particular cuisines. To illustrate, food lovers can criss-cross Italy, Thailand, or Germany while sampling each country’s famed regional foods. Cuisine-specific cooking classes with recognized experts are also popular.
In 2024, however, food enthusiasts are taking their passion to a new level. Choosing a country or region, they’ll delve into the history of the area’s signature delicacies. After savoring them, these culinary adventurers will gather fresh produce and proteins before learning how to make (and preserve) these delectable foods.
Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky notes that a majority of dedicated foodies want to sample indigenous cuisines in 2024. As part of the experience, they’ll discover the stories behind some almost-forgotten foods and recipes. As would be expected, these intriguing revelations will offer insights into cultures that often haven’t made their way into the culinary mainstream.
Not surprisingly, some culinary enthusiasts will bring virtual reality (or VR) and/or augmented reality (or AR) into the mix. These technology-savvy food fans are searching for a completely immersive culinary vacation. A VR experience draws the traveler into a completely virtual food-themed world. An AR experience overlays virtual effects onto real-world elements and scenes.
Historically, vacationers have often thrown caution to the winds on their travels away from home. Besides abandoning their healthy eating regimens, they have sometimes over-indulged on the alcohol front. The experiences’ unpleasant aftereffects have often caused them to question their choices.
Now, global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky says the pendulum has begun to swing to the opposite side. A substantial percentage of travelers want to stay at hotels offering readily accessible alcohol-free beverages ─ beyond sodas and sparkling waters.
Specifically, some travelers are choosing these “dry tripping” (or alcohol-free) experiences. An outgrowth of the “Dry January” and “Sober October” trend, “dry tripping” can take place anytime during the year. Surprisingly, Generation Z is leading the charge, with many in this cohort turning to an alcohol-free lifestyle.
The global travel industry has enthusiastically responded to this emerging trend. Hotel mini-bars now stock zero-proof mixers and offer mocktail creation classes. At least one master mixologist has created a zero-proof cocktail menu containing recognized nutritional ingredients. Another hotel has begun to distill a signature non-alcoholic gin.
Interestingly, alter-egos aren’t limited to superheroes. In 2024, a growing number of travelers will use their vacations to reimagine themselves via an alter-ego. These intrepid vacationers will create an entirely new persona for themselves. In other words, they’ll become the person they always wanted to be ─ whether that’s a movie star, a famous author, or a fearless explorer.
Because a traveler will likely never see their fellow passengers or hotel guests again, they have little to lose by reinventing themselves. They may bring out normally suppressed personality traits or cast off inhibitions in some way.
Some alter-ego vacationers even report feeling a new sense of “joie de vivre” during their adventures. To date, there’s no word on whether some travelers fully adopted their alter-ego once they returned home.
Transformational travel (or wellness-focused vacations) will be alive and well in 2024. Many of these experiences focus on health and wellness, often taking place in serene or exotic locations around the globe.
Some transformational trips focus on a single activity (such as yoga, meditation, or healthy eating). Other transformative vacations combine activities designed to promote physical and mental well-being.
As global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky remarks, travelers who prefer transformational experiences will certainly find plenty of choices. Outward Bound or similar expeditions are joined by single-activity sporting trips (think surfing, glider flying, or skiing, among others).
Although professional instruction often plays a key role in the activity, participants also bring their mental well-being into focus. When they return home, they will have increased mastery of their sport while potentially enjoying mental and emotional rewards as well.
Continued cost of living increases have left many travelers searching for ways to afford their upcoming vacations. Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky reports that some travelers have found a technology-friendly solution.
These resourceful travelers are switching from pricey vacation packages to a la carte trips, putting together budget-conscious travel plans with AI-enabled digital tools. For perspective, over half of travelers will use AI to explore potential trip upgrades and/or affordable add-on experiences.
Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky highlights three additional ways travelers plan to save money on their 2024 vacations. First, they will choose a destination with a lower cost of living than their home base. Alternatively, they may vacation close to home to save on airfare and extra hotel stays.
Next, a substantial portion of travelers will take their kids out of school for cheaper, off-peak vacations. Finally, travelers have figured out how to enjoy five-star hotel amenities without the cost of staying there. These vacationers purchase day passes, which commonly provide access to facilities such as the pool, fitness center, and other desirable perks.
Historically, business travel has often been viewed as a necessary evil. Travelers flew to conferences or visited key clients during a compressed timeframe that left little time for sightseeing or relaxation. Then, the business traveler hopped another series of flights back home.
In 2023, another phenomenon gained popularity on the business travel scene. “Bleisure travel” refers to the blending of business and leisure travel. Here, family members or friends join the business traveler for several days’ leisure time before or after planned business obligations. The leisure segment might take place at the same location or at an easily accessible destination such as a ski resort or beach.
Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky says that bleisure travel certainly isn’t new. In fact, this travel mode has been around for decades. However, bleisure travel became more popular in 2023. The COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns had just ramped down and people now had increased lifestyle control.
Today, almost 90 percent of business travelers plan to tack on some vacation days to upcoming company trips. What’s behind this rapid growth in bleisure travel? Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky says two key factors may be at work.
First, pragmatic business travelers may see a vacation opportunity with reduced travel costs. Time-crunched business travelers might also be searching for ways to get some much-needed downtime with little extra effort. Either way, the bleisure travel trend is likely here to stay.
Many 2024 travelers are shifting away from cookie-cutter vacations and embracing new travel experiences. Global travel advisor Gennady Podolsky emphasizes that advance planning is key to minimizing snafus and enjoying satisfying, enriching trips. Although Internet searches can produce lots of useful information, seasoned travel professionals have insider knowledge that can smooth out the vacation travel experience.
