8 Top Travel Trends for 2018
2017 was a year full of surprising political events, that are bound to have a knock-on effect on where people choose to holiday in 2018.
Here at Aspen Travel, we organise luxury package holidays and escorted tours to destinations all over the world. Weve noticed some definite travel trends forming. Lets have a look at the types of holidays we expect to be helping our customers to book this year.
City breaks
Bite-size city breaks take up just 3 to 4 days of your time and wont cost you anywhere as near as much as a fortnight away, allowing you to break up the monotony of work several times over the year.
Youll have plenty of time to fully explore and gain a unique insight into New York, Reykjavk, Prague, Venice or Bruges with a tour guide and on your own. Its a long enough break to thoroughly relax and unwind, discover new flavours and have a couple of huge nights out, without using up all of your annual leave. Whats not to like?
Wellness trips
With a growing trend towards self-care, wellness trips are becoming increasingly popular. You dont have to book yourself onto a gruelling, joyless trek through the rainforest to significantly up your fitness level abroad. We offer resort packages that will allow you to try a variety of sports on site and at an adjoining beach, with professional coaching. You can also make the most of extensive spa facilities and eat delicious, healthy, freshly prepared full board food.
It doesnt have to be all hard work to look good when youre on holiday. Combine windsurfing classes and guided mountain bike tours with a few hours of lazing in the sun beside the pool, or on the beach. Relaxing and clearing your mind of the stresses of work can be just as beneficial to your health as hard-core exercise.
We have a a huge number of tour operators who offer a selection of resorts that focus on wellness. Club Med is a big name in on-site leisure activities and wellness centres, while Mark Warner takes it one step further, offering dedicated sailing, windsurfing and cycling weeks, where youll learn everything you need to know about your chosen sport and have the opportunity to make real progress in developing your skills in it.
Solo travel
More of us are embarking on holidays on our own, either because we cant be bothered to compromise on our destination preferences, or because we prefer our own company when we are exploring, rather than being with others. There are now so many companies which support solo travel, travelling alone no longer has the stigma, nor the supplement room rate it once had.
These days, solo travellers are widely considered to be free spirits who are keen to satisfy their sense of adventure on their own terms. Many operators such as Titan Travel will organise entertainments and hosted social evenings, for solo travellers on the same tour or package, to give them the opportunity to meet one another and discuss their experiences, as well as potentially make new friends.
Climate change areas
The planet is changing at an unprecedented rate. The ice caps are melting and the coral reefs are blanching. Many climate scientists have reported that areas of great natural beauty will look quite different within just 10 years.
Would you like to see the white, icy wilderness of Alaska and the Arctic before the winter ice disappears altogether? Perhaps youre keen to dive at the Great Barrier Reef, while its still a colourful, underwater wonderland? Or maybe you like to take a safari holiday in one of the great African or Indian national parks to see endangered wildlife that will prove much more elusive over the next few years if we lose our battle to save the diversity of species in the Savannah? We can help find you the perfect adventure holiday.
Enhance luxury packages
Whether its a reaction to all the bad news in the press at the moment, or through a desire for extra pampering, packages which offer heightened luxury on your holiday are on the rise. We make reservations to some Middle Eastern hotels which blow the minds of the average western traveller, as the accommodation, customer service and attention to detail are of dizzying standards. More widely available globally, are the 5 Trident spaces offered by Club Med at some of their more exclusive resorts.
Club Med caters for holidaymakers looking for an upmarket family holiday with a huge menu of leisure activities on offer. With the luxury Club Med 5 Trident space, your accommodation wont just have living space in addition to your sleeping area, but also a private pool, accessed via a private terrace and a butler who will bring your meals to your private dining room on request. Your every whim will be catered for by your personal staff, but youll have the facilities at the whole resort at your disposal, should you be feeling sociable. Learn more
European river cruises
European river cruises go from strength to strength every year, with more and more passengers discovering the benefits of visiting a number of fairytale European cities during the course of one luxury cruise package. With the Brexit date just around the corner, reportedly in March 2019, many feel it is becoming more pressing to see mainland Europe, while entering and leaving the various countries with a British passport is still relatively hassle-free.
You could be visiting the golden wine lands of the Douro countryside in Portugal, Checking out the romantic castles of Budapest, Vienna and Melk along the Danube, or tasting your way around Burgundy and Bruges. What better way to take a day trip to some of Europes most exciting cities. watch the world drift lazily by from your river bank- facing cabin and gain the knowledge into the local culture of the places youre visiting by means of expert, invited guests and on-board lectures. Choose your river, choose your wines and choose to explore on your own, or with a guide. Many of our European river cruise customers book with us year on year. See more about our luxury range of river cruises
Staycation
Not everyone wants a holiday abroad it seems and there are plenty of options for taking a luxury break in the UK. You could discover the hidden caves and landscaped gardens of Cornwall, stroll around the watery scenes of the Lake District, or discover the beauty of the Highlands. Thats only three suggestions, but the possibilities of getting to know some of the natural attractions on your own doorstep are endless. Have you heard of Back-Roads touring? They offer exclusive tours of Britain and Scotland which include a totally different angle on travel, find out more.
Beach Holidays
Beach holidays are perennially popular with holiday makers around the world. Theres something enduringly enjoyable about lazing on the white or golden sands of a warm beach, while the water laps reassuringly at the shore.
Your time is your own to learn a water sport, explore nearby towns, or take part in resort activities. Full board catering will give you a variety of meal choices throughout the day. Kids clubs provide entertainment for children from 4 months to 17 years of age, giving your little ones an unforgettable holiday as well.
Whether youre looking for a desert adventure, green rolling countryside or coastal fun, our dedicated team of travel experts here at Aspen Travel will be able to help you choose a holiday to remember that best suits your preferences and budget. Please get in touch with us to find out where you could be travelling to this year.