New infrastructure is making remote parts of the world more accessible
Hospitality openings and aviation firsts are rendering far corners of the world easier to visit—perfect for intrepid but crowd-weary travelers ready to explore farther afield. The countries bordering Thailand are catching up to their popular neighbor: Posh hotels like the Shangri-La Phnom Penh are opening in the Cambodian capital, while in Laos, luxury river cruises are sailing the less explored upper Mekong. New direct flights on United Airlines to the just-opened Nuuk International Airport in Greenland are ideal for those who’ve done Iceland. Stylish safari stays, like the rebuilt Gorilla Forest Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary, and Wildplaces Africa’s new River Station, are making Uganda more accessible and comfortable. “Among travelers right now there’s an openness to places where they or their friends haven’t been before,” says Sanjay Saxena of Nomadic Expeditions, who takes clients to lesser visited Indian states including Assam for wildlife and Arunachal Pradesh for mountain vistas. “We work with not just hard-core adventurers but also the soft adventurer.”
Grown-up gap years
More and more travel advisers are arranging weeks- or months-long sabbaticals for clients making career transitions or celebrating milestone birthdays, with or without families in tow. Many center on passion projects (manga drawing classes in Japan) or taking meditative journeys (starlit camping trips in Yellowstone). “It’s cranial decluttering,” says George Morgan-Grenville of Red Savannah, who took his own sabbatical trip through Southeast Asia. “I feel more positive and energized than I have for at least 20 years.”
It’s time to make travel fun again
So much travel recently has focused on self-improvement—optimizing your sleep cycle at a European medi-spa, participating in citizen science projects on an expedition ship to Antarctica—but what about simply kicking back and having a good time? Sometimes you just need to flop on a beach and drink a margarita at 10 a.m. “We’re seeing a trend where clients, particularly couples, are requesting more self-contained resorts and cruises, so there’s less pressure to make too many dinner reservations or activity plans,” says Kara Bebell of the Travel Siblings. “It used to be that honeymooners had the need to plan every minute of their trip, cramming it with archaeological digs and trekking for gorillas. But they were forgetting to just relax or be spontaneous.” All-inclusive hotels like The Brando in French Polynesia and Bawah Reserve in Indonesia are becoming more popular with clients who want to combine easygoing vibes with a sense of adventure, Bebell says, but classic trips to indulgent Las Vegas, for example, still hold timeless appeal, especially when savvy travel specialists can score VIP meet-and-greets with pop stars on the Strip or backstage passes at the Sphere. See you at the slot machines.
Entertainment travel is exploding
Following Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour, cities worldwide are prepping to welcome fans of acts like Oasis, Olivia Rodrigo, and Blackpink. The third season of The White Lotus is already sending set-jetters to Koh Samui; the Thailand Tourism Authority expects foreign arrivals to grow by 20%. John Clifford of International Travel Management says the trend is more far-reaching than you might expect: “I’ve seen moms and grandmas lead the charge, even entire multi-gen families who travel for the love of a pop star or a TV show.”
Wellness travel is keeping it young—as in, involving more kids
“Wellness destinations are welcoming more families. At Palace Merano in Italy, I saw kids watching their parents take care of themselves, whether through diet or fitness, and learning healthy habits just by being there,” shares Nina Patel of Vacations That Matter.
