Places, Please: Travel in 2024 will look like this

These five travel trends will impact where we go – and why – in the months ahead.

With travel making a triumphant return in 2023, some of us ventured back to familiar destinations in search of nostalgia, while others were emboldened to go off the grid in the name of adventure — with evolving technology guiding travellers along the way. The coming year will see technology playing an even bigger role in our voyages, be they literal or virtual, as well as an increased focus on how our travel choices can boost wellness and counter over-tourism. Here, we dive further into 2024 travel trends that will dominate the months ahead.

AI Everything

Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have snuck into every part of our lives — and travel is no exception. The year ahead will entail travellers turning to AI assistance to plan and book their vacations, with companies like Uber and Airbnb further enhancing the level of personalisation offered. Not only will AI help travellers find destinations and create itineraries, but it also guarantees on-the-ground support. Samsung’s AI Live Translate Call feature, for example, will be built into the company’s native phone app in the coming months, eradicating language barriers as we know them.

Be Well

Akin to the rise of sleep tourism in 2023, longevity tourism will translate to well-heeled travellers going the extra mile – quite literally – in their quest to live a longer, healthier life with the help of science. Expect a surge of resorts and retreats in Blue Zones as well as the prevalence of affordable biohacking treatments (IV drips, cold plunge therapy, hydrogen inhalers, and red light therapy) worldwide. Elsewhere, everything from DNA testing and custom gut supplements to silent retreats and adaptogenic eating will be more accessible as self-betterment goes hand in hand with travel.

But First, Food

The days of grabbing a seat at the nearest restaurant while abroad are over. Food will rank higher than ever in priority when it comes to choosing holiday destinations, with travellers exploring new places by sampling indigenous cuisine, splurging on Michelin-starred meals, broadening their horizons by way of tasting menus, embracing cheap and cheerful street food, and engaging in foodie experiences such as foraging and feasting in the wild. Culinary-themed tours and holidays across the likes of France, Italy, Vietnam, Thailand and Mexico will also continue to soar in popularity.

Destination Dupe

Between travellers seeking better value for money and attempting to steer clear of crowds, 2024 will be the year that encourages us to visit what have rather aptly been termed ‘dupe destinations’ — think Lombok instead of Bali, Ljubljana instead of Venice, Liverpool instead of London. No longer will we blindly book trips to places where over-tourism has resulted in pollution, littering, damage to historical and cultural sites, and disrespect towards the local way of life. Instead, we’ll holiday in lesser-known destinations, which are a lot more affordable, before they go mainstream.

Final Frontier

Ocean depths, polar ice caps, active volcanoes — travellers will continue to pursue excursions to inhospitable places as extreme tourism booms, despite the risks involved. In fact, the race to reach the Seven Summits is slowly taking a backseat to what is known as the Explorers’ Extreme Trifecta: the highest (Mount Everest) and lowest (Challenger Deep) places on Earth, as well as space. It’s not a new phenomenon either; 2023 repeatedly prompted debate around wealthy adventurers paying small fortunes to pursue big, sometimes dangerous, dreams following the Titan implosion that killed five.