8 Travel Trends You Need To Know In 2019

Think of 2019 as the year for the conscious traveler, with everything from human rights and equality to improved working conditions and environment issues influencing people’s decisions about potential travel destinations.

Almost half of travelers told Booking.com that they feel social issues in possible travel destinations are of real importance when choosing where to go. Meanwhile, over half choose not to go to a destination if they feel it will negatively impact the people who live there.

Safety, regardless of gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation are also of great importance to explorers. Platforms such as Destination Pride are harnessing the power of multiple data sources to provide travelers with a ranking of how LGBT+ friendly their chosen travel destination is, while destinations and organizations will increasingly step up their support for women traveling alone.

Booking.com data reveals that almost one in five (19 percent) travelers plan to travel to attend a Pride festival in 2019, most prominently younger explorers with almost a third (30 percent) of 18 to 34 year olds.

Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, speech recognition – these are the innovations that’ll slowly take over and simplify the way we holiday in 2019.

As Booking.com says, think keyless room-access with your phone, personalized travel tips or a robotic concierge who can communicate with guests in their mother tongue.

Travelers are reportedly now more enthusiastic about real-time luggage tracking through a mobile app (57 per cent) and having a single app for all their planning, booking and travel needs (57 percent) than the prospect of using self-driving transportation in their destination (40 percent).

2019 will also see more tech developed for use pre-trip at research stage. Almost a third (31 percent) of global travelers admit to liking the idea of a ‘virtual travel agent’ in their home, and one in five want to see technology such as augmented reality helping to familiarize themselves with a destination before they arrive.

Talk about trippy (get it?).

Check out our list of ultimate ‘travel gifts’ here.

2019 is the year to seriously look at how your travel information is consumed and used.

A third of travelers (34 percent) admit to wanting someone or something to do the hard work for them, and make travel recommendations. Meanwhile, around two fifths (41 per cent) want travel brands to use technologies such as AI to make travel suggestions based on past travel experience.

Over half (52 percent) say they’d be excited to use a digital tour guide, bringing them a truly bespoke experience so next year is definitely a time to watch out for companies using better ways to curating and delivery our picture-perfect holidays at the click of a button.

NASA will start construction of its Lunar Space Station in 2019 (launching in 2022) and we’ll continue to see considerable investment in orbital spaceflight in 2019.

Four in ten travelers admit to being excited about the prospect of space travel in the future and are open to considering the experience themselves (38 percent).

Until space travel becomes a reality (2019 isn’t the year for that, just yet), people will still be wanting to explore uncharted territories here on Earth in the coming year.

For example, 60 percent of travelers say they they want to stay in accommodation under the sea.

Over half (56 percent) of global travelers agree traveling has taught them invaluable life skills, and 2019 will see a rise in people’s desire to learn something new – this may include volunteering and skills-based holidays – while on holiday.

Generation Z will reportedly become more acutely aware of the need to question expensive university degrees over and against life skills that can be learned while traveling.

Trips with a purpose will become more popular in 2019, with 68 percent of global travelers considering taking part in cultural exchanges to learn a new skill, followed by a volunteering trip (54 percent) and international work placements (52 percent).

According to WRAP, the amount of plastic waste generated annually in the UK is estimated to be nearly 5 million tons so it’s no surprise the environment will be a hot topic of conversation in 2019.

Booking.com predicts millennials and Gen Z travelers will look for sustainable experiences in their destination choices in the new year, while accommodation providers will look to reduce their plastic usage and increase their sustainable credentials.

A staggering 86 percent of global travelers reportedly told the holiday company they would be willing to spend some time on activities that offset the environmental impact of their stay, with over 37 percent willing to clear plastic and litter from a beach or other tourist attraction.

Investment in sustainable start-ups so be a big talking point. Expect to see a number of new travel start-ups and individual enterprises committed to pioneering a more eco-friendly future for our planet’s destinations will come to the forefront in the coming year, with intriguing technology at the core of their solutions.