Thinking of traveling in 2021? There will be a lot of changes to the way and why we travel. As the entire world paused from travel, it’s brought up questions about what it will look like in the COVID era. I hesitate to say, post-COVID, because it really won’t be that until there is a widely distrbuted effective vaccine or herd immunity is reached. Travel trends in 2021 will change from what we thought before COVID, but just how much?
National Parks and State Parks
Reopening will be a phased process, and stir crazy people will want to get into nature after being home bound for months. National and state parks will see an increase in visitors as people seek appreciate the beauty within their country while finding local places to stay. I expect to see an increase in camping, glamping, and luxe camping as travel trends in 2021. Currently, I live in Washington, D.C. and it’s a bit difficultly if you don’t have a car to get out to the nice areas to hike and camp. There is room for a company to build a service to transport people safely from cities to camping areas as metro and bus services are limited.
Road Trips
Going a on a road trip listening to Bon Jovi with the windows down, always felt like the most American thing to me. I went on many road trips including a 5,500 mile solo cross country trip from Idaho to Florida. Family road trips will allow friends and families to safely social distance while traveling within their own countries will likely start to trend in 2020 and is one of the more expected travel trends in 2021. It’s not only the US where will there will be an increase in road trips, but other countries where their borders remain closed to neighboring countries such as in the European Union. It’s a wonderful opportunity to explore and reconnect with the beauty in your home country.
Intentional Travel
There will be an increase in the consciousness and intentionality around travel adding to the already growing interest in sustainable or eco-friendly travel. I am imagining this will continue to evolve into intentional travel – meaning, more people will desire the travel for a purpose. This could be searching for inner peace and spirituality, giving back to local communities in where you stay and the tours you book, and staying in places that are eco-conscious to the local flora and fauna. This is perhaps my favorite travel trend for 2021 and its something that I have long practiced, and plan to take to another level when I begin travelling again next year.
Slow Travel
Along with traveling intentionally, travelers will slow down. I’ve always been a slow traveler, opting to focusing on getting to know one place or country over hopping to capital cities that don’t really give you a sense of the heart of a place. People will have more of an appreciation and gratitude of the privlege to travel and (I hope) will take the time to connect to the place they are visiting. There is also a practical component to this, in that going to one country or location instead of country hopping in and out of airports will reduce the exposure to COVID. This is one of the travel trends in 2021 that is likely to occur as people begin to venture abroad again.
Reconnecting with Family and Friends
One of my colleagues has family in hard hit Northern Italy where her father was a professor. He evacuated before Italy was entirely locked down. But as Italy starts to slowly reopen to Italians, he is itching to get out of America and go back (who can blame him?). I predict we’ll start seeing families separated from COVID and quarantine begin to reconnect. For some people, they talk to their family every day – for others, not as often. The bonds between families will only get stronger during this time as they come together again (safely) as testing improves. So many have experienced loss – of loved ones and livelihoods without the ability to have rituals of mourning like funeral rites, burials, and cremations.
Specialized, One-of-a-Kind experiences
Travel will taken for granted less, and if travelers are going to risk traveling abroad – they will want specialized, one of kind experiences that ensures that reward is comparable to risk. There are already companies that provide personalized and luxe travel arrangements. These type of travel trends in 2021 will depend on those that have the income to afford them, but those wanting once in a lifetime experience may splurge on unique travel experiences.
Remote Islands
The first thing that are coming to a lot of people’s minds is that they want to be on a distant island away from it all – the people, the noise, the grind. Travelers will be wanting to head to islands to relax as many have not been hit as hard. Island countries like Costa Rica and Aruba are being very careful about how they open up to international travel – with quarantine upon arrival likely remaining in place for a longer period of time than other places.
Business Leisure Travel
As companies realize that employees can be productive while working at home – the idea of work anywhere will grow. There are already tons of digital nomads (i.e. Bali) who travel and work remotely. Now that people will no longer be beholden to living in pricey cities like San Francisco, New York, and Washington, D.C., they will be more likely to travel elsewhere to work or relocate entirely. When employees at the company I currently work at have to travel abroad for work, they will sometimes add on PTO days to leisurely enjoy locations they wouldn’t have the opportunity to travel to. I’m predicting of the travel trends in 2021 this one to grow noticeably as companies shift their office/remote work frameworks.
What are your predictions for travel trends in 2021? Do you think travel will remain largely the same as people seek normalcy or will there be a big shift?