Top Travel Trends and Destinations of 2019

​Wanna get away? Silly question. Of course you do. Who doesn’t? A better question would be to ask yourself “where should I go?” With 2019 well under way and people planning for their spring or summer vacations, the world is at your doorstep.

I will break down some of the top trends emerging for 2019. I will also break down the good and bad of those trends, which will hopefully help you make a decision about whether you want to be among the group of people that follow those trends or, alternatively, break away from the pack.


Top destinations

Hawaii

With Southwest scheduled to begin service there in mid-March, Hawaii will certainly be even more popular than before. Especially when Southwest launches their service and offers amazing deals (currently fares are going for as low as $49 from California), you can bet other airlines will offer similar savings.

Caribbean

​Airlines are adding more flights than ever before to the Caribbean. Within the past year, the number of flights from the U.S. to the tropics just south of Florida has jumped 18 percent. According to OAG, a travel data company, American has added nine new routes from various U.S. cities, Delta has added five new routes, JetBlue has added at least one, and the list goes on.  

Less-traveled islands

With more and more places seemingly overrun with tourists, more and more people are in search for that tropical getaway where they can truly escape. According to Pinterest, queries for the phrase “less-traveled islands" are up by a whopping 179 percent.

​Small towns

Another symptom of vacationers trying to get away from the crowd, searches on “small town travel” are up by nearly 300 percent on Pinterest. I think this is also, in part, due to Airbnb making it easier for folks to stay in small towns where the motel/hotel business may be lacking.


Top trends

Mini vacations

More and more people seem to be skipping the larger week-long vacations for shorter (yet more frequent) mini vacations. Not a bad idea, especially if you want to explore places within a reasonable drive from where you live. My wife and I already did this kind of thing this year when we took a long weekend and road-tripped to Lubbock (from Dallas). Let me tell you, it was fantastic.

Wellness tourism

An argument can be made that travel itself is good for the soul. Though that’s true, in my humble opinion, wellness tourism is travel geared towards leaving you not only rejuvenated but better equipped to take on the rigors of everyday life in a healthy way. It's predicted by the early 2020s, wellness tourism will be a $900 billion industry.

Sustainable travel

Otherwise known as “ecotourism,” this trend is nothing new. It’s been around since the 1970s or 1980s and has been becoming more popular as of late. People enjoy feeling that they are making a difference in the world, so if sustainable travel is what strokes their ego, more power to them. As far as I can tell, this doesn’t necessarily include wiping your ass with moss or tree bark (though I’m sure that can be arranged). It does include, however, things like minimizing the impact that you have on a location you visit (aka - leave it how you found it).

Bus travel

Traveling via bus is becoming more popular. According to Pinterest, searches are up 32 percent. And for those who would rather spend money on hotels or experiences, this is a fantastic option in Europe.


Bottom line

What are you waiting for? Open a new tab and start planning that next vacation of yours. And allow me to help! I have a whole bunch of travel information in one place - so you can free up your valuable time to do other things today. That’s right, I’ve compiled a whole library of information for you. The best part? It’s free. Take five seconds to fill out the empty fields below to get access and regain a little bit of control in your life.

What are your travel plans for 2019? I’d love to know.