2023 has arrived and with it for many, dreams of traveling to far, far away places to create memories that will last a lifetime, to experience new things, new adventures, and meet new people.
After a global pandemic, it just makes sense that people have taken this time to really jump head first into it and focus more on the memories they will create rather than the dollars they will spend.
As someone who owns a business in Iceland, a country known for its ridiculous prices, I can tell you that people spend a lot of money on their holidays to make sure they have a good time.
Especially during the summer periods.
So below I will share with you a run down of the top travel trends forming around the world from what I have personally come across, but also found online.
Solo Travel
No.1 on the list in my opinion is the rise of solo travelers. I think this is caused by the many unfortunate breakdowns of relationships during the past few years.
Many people have taken the time to find out more about themselves, and I think that this makes a lot of sense. As someone who has been traveling for a long time.
As a person who recommends solo travel to everyone, I know that when you take the plunge to see the world on your own, you also have to take on the responsibility that you are the only one that will dictate how your experience will unfold.
In doing so, I find that it’s much easier for people, especially people who just left school, to mature and grow out of the mentality that someone is there to look after them.
Also on that topic, it gives lifelong skills, such as planning, socializing, saving, on the spot problem-solving, but even more so, will continually push you out of your comfort zones until the unknown becomes your new comfort zone.
So if you are planning on starting a solo travel experience I would 100% recommend it.
To make the process easier than it can be daunting at times, make sure to follow some simple tips.
- Start by travelling to places you will feel safe and comfortable in. Places such as Iceland, Britain, France, Australia etc.
- Make a travel itinerary for the first part of your trip so that you do not feel overwhelmed when you start your trip.
As you feel more comfortable with solo travelling, you could begin considering travelling day to day. - Share your itinerary with people, so they don’t worry about you. Provide them with a way to contact you.
- Listen to your instinct. It’s amazing how many times my instinct kicked in during my travels around the world and to tell you the truth, I will never know if it was right at certain times, but in the long run, I’m quite happy not to go explore the alternative adventures I could have had.
- Start with a short solo trip. If you like it and feel comfortable, you can always book a longer one in the future.
- Travel to see friends. You don’t have to spend your whole trip with them, but it gives you a plan, and who knows, they might show you around and give you inside knowledge of specific places.
- Finally, I would recommend just doing it. Solo travel is one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life, but also for many people I have come across along my journey.
Luxury Travel Is Here To Stay
As a backpacker, for many of my trips I could not justify spending money on a hotel, or expensive restaurants.
But after the pandemic and having been able to save some money, I have come to the realization that in some cases, spending more will give me a better experience of a place.
I understand now that paying a little extra here and there will get you a more comfortable bed, a more memorable meal, higher quality entertainment.
Of course, I’m not here to say that it’s no longer possible to travel on a shoestring budget, but more that sometimes it just makes sense to spend a little extra money to enhance your holiday experience.
And from my experience last summer in Iceland, I can tell you that people will definitely spend more to make lifelong memories from this experience.
This is most likely the reason why the luxury travel industry is booming at the moment, or perhaps people are realizing that life can fly by in an instant.
Money can always be made, but memories are limited by the amount of life you have remaining. So I would recommend splurging on something sometimes to enhance your experience.
Travelers Are Planning Ahead Again
Remember a time when you couldn’t even plan a week or two ahead because the world self imploded.
Yep, that had a massive hit on the travel industry.
I remember it clearly. We had a booming season, with full bookings and one day an announcement would be made and with it a tidal wave of cancellations.
It was a difficult time, but now we are on the other side of things, we have more clarity… for now about our possible travel plans.
And this is a great time to get the pen and paper out, do some research about the next vacation you are planning on doing and come up with an itinerary that will make your friends jealous.
The benefits of planning ahead are quite beneficial, and I definitely would recommend them to most holiday travelers.
Here are a few benefits to planning ahead.
- Save money on flights, hotels, car rentals, and holiday experiences.
- Make sure you don’t miss out on a busy attraction by booking ahead of time. For example, the blue lagoon in Iceland is typically booked out 3–5 months ahead of time.
- You can always add more to your trip if you come across new exciting things in the future.
- Set it and forget it and just look forward to a perfectly organized holiday.
- Find deals that sometimes come ahead of time. E.g. some airlines have massive sales on their flights months in advance.
The Customer Experience Is More Important Than Ever
As mentioned before, this year is all about creating long-lasting memories and enjoying your time while doing so.
Spend a little more on attractions that focus on providing you with amazing customer service on your trip and piece of mind that you will be happy.
Be it by checking out reviews, listening to locals or just doing research online to find the best offers.
I had many times when I skipped an attraction so that I wouldn’t spend too much money, but in the end I regretted it because I didn’t know if I would go back again.
Just like in playing a game, try unlocking as many achievements as possible.
Yes, it might mean you spend more money on your trip, or spend more time doing certain things, but by doing them, you can go back home knowing you did all the things you wanted to during your trip.
And I think that is a great place to be when returning from a holiday.
Eco-Travel and the Outdoors are In
What a surprise this is, people have spent the past few years, trapped within their 4 walls. So it just makes sense that more people are trying to reconnect with nature.
Travelling to countries with nature immersive experiences is really hot this year. Spending time camping, RV camping, or prolonged periods travelling in vans is really in.
When I was recently looking for vans in Australia, it quickly became clear to me that it is rare to find a good deal under $20,000.
Which shows that more people are travelling to Australia to do exactly that. Explore the beauty and nature of a country with the leisure and convenience of being able to drive whenever and sleep wherever.
In the meantime, many flight aggregate websites have also begun showing train and bus connections. which shifts the focus from just travelling by plane to more eco-conscious possibilities.
With it comes savings and less of a footprint on mother earth.
Which in my eyes is a win-win situation.
Spontaneous Travelers Will Seek More Last-Minute Deals
Even though more and more people are beginning to get back into planning their holidays ahead of time, there are still those that like to wait a little longer in the hope of last minute deals.
Which definitely works in some cases but not always.
What you might find is that by waiting till the last minute you might end up with expensive accommodation and flights to the destination you are interested in.
Also, you may miss out on activities that could be booked out prior to your arrival, which would make for an unfortunate experience.
But on the other hand, if you are completely flexible, this is by far the best way to travel.
My recommendations are simple for this one.
- Have a small carry-on backpack. By not having much baggage you are able to move from place to place easily, save money on flights and in terms of safety, you can take your things with you wherever you go.
This makes you look less like a tourist and in most cases keeps you out of the eyes of pick pocketers. - Sign up for newsletters from airlines and hotels. This could give you an inside scoop on potential last minute sales which could, in the long run, be a huge saving.
- Be flexible with your destinations. On your flight, aggregate type in your starting destination and select anywhere. By doing this, you could find tickets and destinations you never really thought about travelling to.
Bucket List Trips
I have travelled to 50 countries, taken part in all kinds of activities, and I would be happy with the achievements I made if I was to hit the bucket tomorrow.
But one thing is for sure, I did have to put a hold on all my travels over the past few years, and I can imagine there are a lot of other people around the world itching to tick off their bucket list.
Could it be the northern lights in Iceland, or swimming with great white sharks in Africa, or maybe paragliding in Argentina. Whatever it is, it’s a great time to complete those experiences because you never know what could happen tomorrow.
For creating a bucket list I would always go back to the trusty goal setting exercise I have used multiple times in my life to make a list of all the things I would like to do.
The idea is quite simple.
Get a paper and pen, and start writing travel goals, activity goals, just any goals for your upcoming life in travel. and then continue writing, and writing and writing. Aim for about 100 goals and destinations.
It’s a hard task and at times you won’t understand the point of the exercise, but trust me once you get the obvious goals out of the way, you might start focusing on long-lost goals you had when you were younger.
This is perfect because those goals might be the reason to get you out of your comfort zone and travel the world.
Additionally, as an added bonus you get a tick and flick document which you can use as an achievement counter.
In the future, you can look back on it and see which goals you have achieved and to excite you or give you another wake-up call to start seeing the world.
Conclusion for 2023 Travel Trends
Yes, there are plenty of travel trends, plenty of top destinations out there and plenty of things to do and see.
In the end, the trends are great guides to how you can travel, but more importantly it’s important for you to find your own reason to travel and when you do, you will be happy that you have taken the first step in the right direction.
And who knows, maybe it will inspire you to share your stories and lessons on your own personal travel blog just like this one.
I hope you enjoyed the read and if you have any other travel trends I didn’t mention, please feel free to let me know in the comments below:)
