Beyond the Year of the Weekender

Holiday habits are changing and so are trends defining travel. Brace for even more weekends away, quirkier hotels and getting more out of each trip in 2017. Read on as UNIGLOBE experts bring you a compilation of top trends that will set the tone for your travel this year!

Customised experiences 
Be it unique concierge services from hotels or custom-made itineraries built around your preferences, 2017 will see the rise of bespoke experiences designed just for you. Expect to be pampered by hotels offering to send hair and makeup artists to your room or stylist consultations during your stay.
Bespoke travel planners will be more widespread too - no more being tied down to strict itineraries! For instance, at UNIGLOBE, local specialists work with you to plan your customized itinerary that not only matches your interests but sets you up for a truly local experience.

Green travel
2017, the UN’s Year of Sustainable tourism, will see destinations and hotels push their ethical credentials. Expect more locally sourced food on the menu, green city tours on bike, electric car transfers, luxury accommodations with sustainable twists and more environment friendly destinations. Your carbon footprint as you travel is about to take a downward turn!

Multiple weekenders
The conventional two-week holiday is set to make way for multiple two-to four-night breaks instead. Cities with most sites close together and that offer at least one or two marquee attractions, a unique cultural atmosphere and great food will be the favourites for serial weekenders. To name a few, Rome, Florence, will be perfect destinations for quick trips.

Fitness travel
Whether it’s travelling all the way to Sweden to master ice yoga or taking a trip to Edinburgh to brave the marathon, health and wellness travel will be a dominant trend this year. This would also include detox holidays and boot camps which are predicted to grow by 7.5% per year until 2020.

Virtual before real
With virtual tours and more honest photos and reviews available online, gone are the days of your destination or hotel not living up to its image in the brochure. In fact, cities like Dubai, Frankfurt, Basel and Oxford already offer virtual city tours, so you’re not in any unpleasant surprises once you set out on the real tour.

Smart travel
From think fast public transport, futuristic bike hire schemes, city wide free Wi-Fi, ubiquitous USB charging stations to smart apps allowing you to pre-book available spaces in car parks, the world is becoming a smarter place to travel. Cities like Singapore, Barcelona, London, San Francisco and Oslo are leading the way.
Far from the madding the crowd
Some of the less crowded destinations that have been off the radar will beat cliches like the gondola rides in Venice as favourites this year. The untouched beaches of Koh Rong, Cambodia, and the diving potential of the Great Blue Hole in Belize, Central America, are worth exploring before the crowd catches on!

City hopping
Hopping across borders, cities or state lines will be in demand. Going from Prague’s medieval streets to arty Dresden in just five hours or from hip Lisbon to laid-back Porto in three – Isn’t it just simpler and cheaper to city hop than take separate holidays?

Cool hotel conversions
The worldwide hospitality trend of turning neglected structures into alluring properties is another hot trend worth exploring. London’s upcoming underground hotel in a former car park and Ace Hotel New Orleans, formerly a furniture store, are just a couple of examples worth checking out and checking in 2017!