When it comes to travel, where you’re headed and how you will get there is likely to be a mix of old and new trends in the New Year. This roundup of travel trends for 2015 looks at both aspects for travelers whether they are heading across the country or around the globe.
Destination trends both domestically and globally are fairly predictable in terms of top spots and increasing number of visits for 2015. A recent New York Times article cited research from the market research company Euromonitor International, which showed some old favorites topping the list of favorite destinations predicted for 2015. According to the article, Mexico tops the list followed by Canada and Britain. France, Italy, Germany, the Bahamas, Jamaica, China, Spain and Japan (the latter two essentially tied) complete the top 11, in that order.
If statistics are your thing, the article provides some interesting Euromonitor figures for the number of trips in the past year to these destinations and the expected jump for the New Year. Reasons range from the price of the dollar to exotic historic locales, global cultures and natural beauty. The list of countries that are emerging as top travel destinations in 2015 is predictably topped by Cuba as the U.S goes through the motions of normalizing relations with the country in a series of unprecedented moves by the Obama administration.
For the vast majority of Americans that can afford to travel, domestic destinations continue to provide old and new experiences in landscapes, weather, shopping, and tourist destinations. As the winter grips the country in the first quarter of 2015, Euromonitor find that California, Texas and Florida are highly predictable top destinations spots for travelers.
Equally important to where we travel is how we travel, and the trends for 2015 reveal some exciting new changes as well as some recent innovations that are reaching critical mass in terms of accessibility. Travel + Leisure Magazine’s recent online article on travel trends for 2015 provides a great overview of a number of the top trends for travelers in the New Year.
When traveling by air, some of the changes range from the rollout of Boeings new 737 cabin improvements for their planes with redesigned overhead bins to redesigned seating. The changes continue with the availability of new flight routes for some of the top international airlines taking travelers to far flung corners of the globe. Lastly, technology integration is one of the biggest trends in travel for 2015 with a host of options aimed at travelers.
The ubiquitous smartphone is expected to become even more useful at airports as they integrate a variety of optional alerts that tie into airport beacons that point you to great deals, amenities, departure times, and other services in the terminals. Airports, restaurants and hotels are also making it easier to use your phone to make quick-pass payments for a variety of common conveniences including checkout, reservation alerts, bill payment, and beyond.
In a recent blog post we discussed the number of ways that hotels are utilizing new methods to provide travelers with better sleep, and those ways are among the top travel trends for 2015. The blog post and the trends include everything from wearable sleep monitors and slumber kits to personal sleep coach advice and specialized beds and room environments designed with better sleep in mind.
What is truly great is that all of these trends bode well for those living with sleep apnea that utilize CPAP therapy. Just as CPAP machine technology has become lighter and more portable with single button access to full features to accommodate home and travel use, the larger travel industry has made technology a centerpiece for service, comfort and convenience. One thing is for sure, 2015 may be among the best years so far to get out there and see the country or the world.