Are you itching to travel again? These five travel trends are the new way of holidaying.
We might not be able to travel right now, but our minds are thinking about all the places we will go to once the pandemic is behind us. Whatever we will be able to travel again in a couple of months or we will have to wait longer to finally be free to roam the world, the way we travel is never going to be the same, and it’s probably for the best.
If before Covid we were always on the hunt for the next city break and weekend away, the new way to travel will be mindful and slower. Pandemic or not, the planet hasn’t healed, and we can’t go back to the way things were before.
Fortunately, surveys show that people are now thinking of a new, slower way to travel and are searching for holidays with a bigger purpose than just going away for the weekend. We identified five travel trends that will be shaping the way we holiday for the next few years.
Regenerative travel
Sustainability has been in the spotlight for the last couple of years, and the necessity of rethinking the way we travel is one of the main pillars of the worldwide campaign to save the planet. We might not be able to travel on a boat Greta Thunberg-style, but we can definitely revisit the way we approach travel and the type of tourists we are.
One of the important things to consider when talking about eco-tourism is the effect that our visit will have on local environments and communities. Tourism is not always bad, quite the opposite. If we organise our trip in a conscious way, being attentive to create a positive impact on the community, tourism is one of the best ways to help local economies. Some countries rely heavily on visitors to boost their economies, so it’s necessary to continue to travel, in a mindful way.
The latest report from Euronews and Globetrender describes ‘community immersion’ as a key focus for next year’s conscious traveller, prioritising opportunities that allow for direct contact with local communities to help alleviate poverty and repair economic ecosystems.
Where to go: Who wouldn’t dream of a heavenly beach after the year we had? Now you can help restore corals while holidaying in paradise. JOALI Maldives invites guests to help its Marine Biology Team with their pioneering Reef Restoration Project’s onsite coral nursery. Guests can scuba dive down to the coral nursery to attach new coral fragments and take measurements to monitor existing fragments’ growth. Hopefully, these ‘fragments of hope’ will be transplanted onto the existing house reef to help it regenerate.
Book your stay at JOALI Maldives here.
Slow travel
The time where the fast life and the 24h-long speed holidays were cool is over. Nobody wants to have a holiday that will leave them more tired than they were before. I used to be a serial weekend-away traveller – the idea to stay in London for weekends on end seemed pointless and a waste of time, but I can easily say that I was never rested after the weekend; I was usually sleep-deprived and exhausted.
If the life before was all about visiting as many places as possible, the collective vision of travel is changing to embrace a slower way of travelling. The flight-free pledge is growing in popularity, and people are ditching annoying flights for nicer, cleaner and slower train journeys. With more and more of us enjoying the new remote and flexible way of working, there is a bigger demand for longer breaks that allow to really explore the places and absorb the culture.
Where to go: Why would you settle for a quick weekend in Bristol, when you can spend a week (or more) in a fabulous hotel in sunny Spain? A Quinta da Auga Relais & Châteaux on the outskirts of Santiago de Compostela you can immerse yourself in nature and reconnect with yourself. The historic Camino de Santiago pilgrimage celebrates its special Holy Year in 2021, and the family-run hotel has launched a dedicated Pilgrim Package to mark the occasion, with spa treatments focusing on tired legs and feet, traditional Galician cuisine and heritage tours of the ancient city centre.
Book your stay at A Quinta da Auga Relais & Châteaux here.
Mental wellbeing
If there is one thing that unites every person on the planet, it’s that 2020 was not a good year for our mental health (or in general for that matter). The physical and mental strain that lockdowns, uncertainty and economic collapse had on us is clear, even if we don’t add the effects that Covid had on those who suffered from it.
So, if you feel like you need a complete reset, that seems completely fair. We have done virtual yoga retreats, art classes via zoom and we had to do therapy sessions over the phone – but we all know it’s not the same. After these very long months, we’ll need more than a yoga class and a glass of wine at dinner.
Where to go: If a complete reset of body and mind is what you are after, you’ll probably need more than a simple hotel. Buchinger Wilhelmi has two gorgeous locations, one on Lake Constance in Germany and one in Marbella, and has just launched a new Immunity+ Programme that aims to strengthen both body and mind. The activities included are art therapy, yoga, meditation, musical expression, piano meditation, aromatherapy, mindfulness, Tibetan bowls, gi-gong, walks in nature and more.
Book your stay at Buchinger Wilhelmi here.
Reconnecting
We all missed our friends and family terribly, and most of us still do, so it’s fair to think about something special to do together when this is going to be over. What if we used one occasion to reconnect with our loved ones, nature and ourselves? Many gorgeous countryside hotels have opened in the last years, and a little break immersed in glorious forests, eating farm to table produces and maybe even indulging in a spa treatment or two sounds like a great plan to us.
Where to go: The team behind French beauty brand Caudalie and the gorgeous hotel Les Sources Caudalie have just opened their new venture in France: Les Sources de Cheverny. In the heart of the Loire valley, this newly opened hotel looks like an oasis of calm, perfect to take things slow and take care of ourselves.
Book your stay at Les Sources de Cheverny here.
Workation
Have you heard of a workation? As you might have guessed, it’s the mix of a holiday and a working stay. After all, why would you work remotely from a tiny apartment in a rainy city when you can work from anywhere in the world?
A few places in Europe have seen the arrival of a lot of digital nomads on a quest for better weather, more space and maybe even a bit more freedom – going for a daily walk along a busy road in a big city is not the same as having the possibility of walking along a tranquil river or on a sandy beach. Remote working and WiFi mean that we can decide to live anywhere for a few months. The city of Athens, for example, launched a 12-week campaign titled Even Lockdown is Better in Athens, looking at the life on ‘Corona expats’ that have chosen the Greek capital as a base. Greece is only one example, but the possibilities are endless.
Where to go: Good weather, delicious food, nice people and great WiFi are a must on our list so it’s no surprise that Croatia would be our number one choice. The Croatian government announced a Digital Nomad Visa scheme, which means that remote workers from anywhere in the world can choose to spend a few months in the country, helping their work-life balance and the Croatian economy. The stylish Hotel Dubrovnik Palace Hotel and the iconic Hotel Excelsior offer a 21-day stay for those seeking the perfect work-life balance in the Croatian city, with special offers starting from € 114 per night.
Book your stay at Hotel Dubrovnik Palace Hotel here and at Hotel Excelsior here.
Pictures: Spencer Davis / Yan / Daria Obymaha / Nina Uhlikova
