If you’ve included travel in your New Year’s Resolutions, you’re not alone. But what will the new year mean for travel? We know that advances in AI are making accommodations a breeze; weekend “micro trips” are becoming more popular; and travel forums are making trips economical and intentional. Check out our list below for the biggest travel trends of 2019 and Bon Voyage!

1. The Rise of Micro Trips

When it comes to your next trip, instead of long and broad, think brief but meaningful.

Thoughtful and spontaneous mini excursions are a great option if you can’t swing a week or two off work. Thanks to advances in travel packages with inclusive airfare, hotels, and rental cars,  taking a 3 day weekend for a micro-trip seems more manageable than ever.

Stuck on a work trip? “Bleisure”: combining business and leisure, is becoming a trend as business professionals are finding ways to squeeze in restaurants, shows, and the “local spots” into work trips.

And who says you need to get on a plane? Don’t rule out your hometown: Google events happening in your city: a speakeasy, a comedy show, or that new seafood restaurant downtown.

2. Solo Travel

If you’ve been having the itch to travel as a party of 1, you’re not alone. To conclude 2018, Adventure Travel claimed that solo travel among millennials is up by 80%. Sound daunting? Travel shouldn’t be a chore! Allow your solo trip to be a time where you pick the activities without the fear that the others with you will be let down.

A few tips for solo travel: stay unplugged while documenting your trip (not just for the ‘gram!) with trendy instant film options, and do your research of the cities you’re travelling in: have a few places in mind before you dive right into it.

3. AI(‘ll) Do the Work

From discovering a new restaurant to finding out the weather, there’s no doubt that digital tools and voice assistance are a go-to option. The same, as research shows, applies to travel.

Trekksoft.com notes that a whopping 48% of Americans plan their travel plans on a mobile device alone. And according to PhocusWire, not only do 60% of travel consumers want AI to do most of the work for them, 36% of them are willing to pay a premium for these personalized experiences.

And guess what? They work! Not only do inclusive packages take the stress of room and board off your shoulders, it allows you to budget more effectively and carve out time for the activities you want to do, instead of spending precious time working out hotel stays and airfare.

4. The Island Less Traveled

While iconic islands in Caribbean or Hawaii have always garnered popular travel attention, 2019 has something else to say. According to Pinterest, searches for less travelled islands are up 179%.

Bora Bora in Tahiti in particular has peaked interest in millennials as of late. Data from Hopper, a mobile based technology platform for travel, shows a 24% increase in travel to the beautiful island of white sand beaches.

5. The Conscious Consumer

Travel with a purpose! Knowing the “why” to your trip can make the experience meaningful.

Intentional Travelers’ Ingrid Hannan gives a few tips to lighten a cultural footprint and to respect the surrounding community: Learn (at least some of) the language, smile and greet people according to local custom, and shift the focus from taking to giving.

Over half (56%) of global travellers said that travelling has taught them life-skills, and “intentional travelling” will see a rise this year.

According to Booking.com, 49% of people will consider social issues of an area before packing their bags, and 58% won’t even select a destination if they think they will negatively impact the community.

Experts believe that 2019 promises to be a year of record-breaking travel: intentional but easy-to-plan, exciting and new, and certainly an adventure to write home about.

Jassy Verdult, Blogger at Travel Placement Service