WELCOME TO OUR TRAVEL BLOG

Much like fashion, travel cycles through different trends every year. These trends influence where we vacation, how we vacation, and what experiences we desire most. Staying up-to-date with what’s en vogue has its benefits: better deals, new technologies, and an opportunity to be at the forefront of unique experiences. Here’s our forecast for this year’s luxury travel trends to keep your eyes on.

“Bleisure” Travel

Business travelers, meet vacation time. For ages, combining “business” and “leisure” was a big no-no…until now. With more and more evidence showing the negative effects of jetlag, businesses are realizing that employees need some R&R before jumping into work while away from the office. Business travelers are taking a few extra days to enjoy some sights and relax, all after giving a keynote speech or attending a business meeting with clients. This trend is becoming so big that nearly half (46 percent) of business travelers add personal days to most of their business trips. When an employee has some solid “me” time, they tend to be more relaxed, rested, refreshed, and productive.

Because of technology, many people can now work from anywhere – whether it be on a beach or at a sunny cafe. So before hopping back on a 10 hour plane ride home, consider spending a few days relaxing and getting to know the city you’re in.

High-Tech Accomodations

When it comes to travel, technology is here to stay. The world’s best hotels are redefining luxury as a high-tech experience by adding some of the industry’s most cutting edge innovations. Virtual concierge services, robot butlers, and fingerprints used as keys is just the beginning.

Rooms at Hotel 1000 in Seattle contain built-in infrared detectors that alert housekeeping staff when someone is in the room. At Citizen M in Amsterdam, every room has its own ‘Mood Pad’ that allows guests to adjust the temperature, lighting, curtains, and television to create the ideal ambience. Last but not least are the folks at Yotel in New York City who took their technology to new heights with their Yobot, a 15-foot automated luggage handler.

Luxury Flying And Yachting

In the last year, more and more travelers want their luxury experience to start the second they step on the plane, instead of when they get off exhausted and jetlagged. First and business class flights offer the intimacy and comfort that luxury travelers expect, like onboad lounges, lie-flat beds, extensive entertainment systems, and meals prepared by world-famous chefs. In the end, everything that a luxury flight can offer adds up to a seamless, stress-free travel experience.

Luxury yachts are also on the uptick in places like the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Travelers want to enjoy the privacy and traquility of the ocean while also sailing in luxury on the open seas. And you don’t need to own a yacht in order to have this experience -many luxury yachts are available for rent.

Travel Agencies and Personalized Travel

Ever since the internet came along and made it much easier to plan a trip online, travelers have been opting out of using a travel agent. While this may seem convenient and cheaper, online deals leave out personalized experiences that many travelers desire. This is why in recent years using a travel agent has become a luxury service – because they have the ability to curate a trip in ways that are difficult to impossible to do on your own.

If you’re looking for a unique trip full of unique memories, travel agents may be worth the few extra bucks. People nowadays want to make stronger connections to their destination’s culture and community, and the best way to do this is by finding out how the residents live. Curated wine tours through local wineries, cooking classes at beloved city hotspots, and artisan craftmaking workshops with locals are all the rage – many of which have limited spots and can only be booked through a special connection. In comes the travel agent. Using a travel agent will also ensure that the trip is smooth sailing from start to finish, giving you that seamless, worry-free trip you’ve been looking forward to.

Wellness Travel

In recent years, many luxury travelers have turned a cold shoulder to 24-hour hotel buffets and bottomless Pina Coladas in favor of maintaining a healthy lifestyle throughout their journey. And it hasn’t gone unnoticed. Nowadays, you’ll see healthier dining options, fuller gyms, and more luxurious saunas and spas. Some accomodations are going above and beyond, like the Stay Well Rooms at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas that offer vitamin C-infused showers, wake-up light therapy, and air purification systems. Some hotels are pairing up with celebrity fitness trainers, and some airports are even offering fitness centers within their terminals.

Wellness retreats take this trend one step further by focusing exclusively on physical, personal, and mental well-being. Week-long yoga, meditation, and boot-camp centers have become especially popular in warm and serene places like Bali, Thailand, and the Caribbean. Living in such a fast-paced and high-stress society, it’s really no wonder that many people see wellness getaways as a way to unplug, unwind, and focus on a healthful life.