Poised to be the year that redefines the word ‘travel’, 2019 has a lot in store for the intrepid traveller—from Artificial Intelligence-enhanced hotel stays to the Instagram vacation. Travel writer Raul Dias introduces you to a few such exciting new possibilities for the New Year.
By Raul Dias
On many levels, today is one of the most important days in our year. Never mind the fact that said year began just a few hours ago! Some of us have already begun to set new goals, both personally and professionally and chart a fresh, new game plan for the year ahead. But if you’re like me, then one of the first things you’ve probably done is decide how your travel year is going to pan out. Will I finally make it to elusive Madagascar? Is this the year that sees me embark on my very first luxury train journey through India’s ancient sites? Should I sign up for that deep-sea diving course in the Andamans that I’d been contemplating? All important questions seeking even more important answers.
But then, there are always those among us who seem to need a little nudge in the right direction—travel wise that is. And so, I’ve put together a list of what I think will be trending this 2019.
One of the most interesting and au courant styles of vacationing will surely be the ‘Instagram Holiday’ what with most of us putting the “Instagrammability” of our holiday destination above all else. Catching onto this trend, Shoot My Travel is a vacation photography platform that pairs travellers with local professional photographers at the vacation destination to capture your trip memories.
In this era of both TV and digital entertainment platforms, travel based on shows aired/streamed will be big this year. And I’m sure that the upcoming last season of Game Of Thrones will also inspire trips to Croatia, Iceland and Northern Ireland, home of the famous Dark Hedges trees. This year is also poised to be the year of the solo traveller and an increase in LGBTQ-friendly travel. Platforms such as Destination Pride are harnessing the power of multiple data sources to provide travellers with a ranking of how LGBTQ-friendly their chosen travel destination is.
As far as lengths of vacations goes, I see the ‘micro vacation’ being the “in” thing, so that one can now squeeze in more curated travel itineraries into shorter time frames. All this, thanks to improvements in flight routes, transport, cheap flights, on-demand car rentals and accommodation.
Speaking of accommodation, Booking.com says that keyless room-access with your phone and the robotic concierge who can communicate with guests in their own language will be big. Also, 2019 will also see more tech developed for use pre-trip at research stage with aids like the virtual travel agent and augmented reality helping travellers familiarise themselves with a destination before they arrive.
So, get set to hit that exciting new road ahead this 2019!
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 1st January 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper on page 20 https://www.freepressjournal.in/lifestyle/peek-into-2019-the-journey-ahead/1426410)
By Raul Dias
On many levels, today is one of the most important days in our year. Never mind the fact that said year began just a few hours ago! Some of us have already begun to set new goals, both personally and professionally and chart a fresh, new game plan for the year ahead. But if you’re like me, then one of the first things you’ve probably done is decide how your travel year is going to pan out. Will I finally make it to elusive Madagascar? Is this the year that sees me embark on my very first luxury train journey through India’s ancient sites? Should I sign up for that deep-sea diving course in the Andamans that I’d been contemplating? All important questions seeking even more important answers.
But then, there are always those among us who seem to need a little nudge in the right direction—travel wise that is. And so, I’ve put together a list of what I think will be trending this 2019.
One of the most interesting and au courant styles of vacationing will surely be the ‘Instagram Holiday’ what with most of us putting the “Instagrammability” of our holiday destination above all else. Catching onto this trend, Shoot My Travel is a vacation photography platform that pairs travellers with local professional photographers at the vacation destination to capture your trip memories.
In this era of both TV and digital entertainment platforms, travel based on shows aired/streamed will be big this year. And I’m sure that the upcoming last season of Game Of Thrones will also inspire trips to Croatia, Iceland and Northern Ireland, home of the famous Dark Hedges trees. This year is also poised to be the year of the solo traveller and an increase in LGBTQ-friendly travel. Platforms such as Destination Pride are harnessing the power of multiple data sources to provide travellers with a ranking of how LGBTQ-friendly their chosen travel destination is.
As far as lengths of vacations goes, I see the ‘micro vacation’ being the “in” thing, so that one can now squeeze in more curated travel itineraries into shorter time frames. All this, thanks to improvements in flight routes, transport, cheap flights, on-demand car rentals and accommodation.
Speaking of accommodation, Booking.com says that keyless room-access with your phone and the robotic concierge who can communicate with guests in their own language will be big. Also, 2019 will also see more tech developed for use pre-trip at research stage with aids like the virtual travel agent and augmented reality helping travellers familiarise themselves with a destination before they arrive.
So, get set to hit that exciting new road ahead this 2019!
(An edited version of this article first appeared in the 1st January 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper on page 20 https://www.freepressjournal.in/lifestyle/peek-into-2019-the-journey-ahead/1426410)
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