Travel is the movement of people between distant geographical locations. Travel can be done by foot, bicycle, automobile, train, boat, bus, airplane, ship or other means, with or without luggage, and can be one way or round trip. Travel can also include relatively short stays between successive movements, as in the case of tourism.
Types of Travel
Business Travel
Event Travel
Backpacking Trip
The Impromptu Trip
Solo Travel
Family Vacation
Siblings-Only Vacation
The Ultimate All-Girls/All-Boys Travel
Long-Term Slow Trip
Friends-Only Travel
Group Travel
Luxury Travel
Weekend Travel
Gap Year Travel
Road Trip
DIY Travel
Visiting Relatives or Friends
Volunteer Travel
No Destination Travel
Working Abroad
Adventure Travel
Student Exchange Program
Full Degree Program
Romantic Travel
Travel to Teach English
Understanding-Your-Roots Travel
1. Business Travel
This is one of the most common types of travel. Business trips are taken solely for the purpose of business – for meetings, to attend conferences, to meet potential business partners or potential clients. While business travel is usually a short trip, with tight schedules and meetings, traveling for business is indeed a major perk!
In many business trips, people work the usual 9-to-5 hours and are free to explore the country in their spare time. There are plenty of opportunities for business travelers to meet new people, get to know the culture and try out the amazing food.
2. Event Travel
Traveling abroad to attend an event like a music festival, sports event, Coachella or a cultural festival sounds amazing, doesn’t it? This is a great way of exploring a completely new place and experiencing the excitement of the event celebrations. Moreover, people from all over the world come to attend such events. This means it is a great opportunity to make new friends and learn about new cultures!
3. Backpacking Trip
One should go on a backpacking trip at least once in their lifetime. This trip is like no other and gives you a sense of freedom with no pressure, no commitment. It is just you and the world for you to explore. Backpacking through a country, even if it is a short trip will make you see the world in a different light. Some days might be hard but this trip will give you plenty of stories to share with your loved ones.
4. The Impromptu Trip
When the urge to traveling overtakes, all you want to do is pack your bags and head out to explore the world. That’s what this trip literally is. Sudden plans are always the best, aren’t they? Whether you head out alone, with a friend or family, heading to a nearby city or a road trip, an impromptu trip is sure to give you the thrills. You will come back with adventurous and inspirational stories!
5. Solo Travel
This is without the doubt, one of the best types of travel. This travel offers you a chance to discover yourself while you travel alone. Surprisingly, many people are reluctant to traveling alone but embarking on a solo trip will prove to be a life-changing and rewarding trip. You get to do whatever you want, eat whatever you want, and alter your trip as per your liking without any pressure for anyone. This would be one of the most liberating things you would do in your life. Give it a try, go solo!
6. Family Vacation
Family vacations are the best way of relaxing and connecting with your family. With the increasing pressure of everyday life, one rarely gets the time to spend quality moments with their family. With work, home chores, assignments and tests, parents and children simply go through about their daily routine without bonding. A family vacation is a much-needed break, away from all the stressors, to spend time with your family. It helps in strengthening the familial bond.
7. Siblings-Only Vacation
As you grow older, you gradually grow apart from your siblings due to many reasons – living in different cities or countries, tough routines, and so on. The happiness of living independently and not having your siblings to annoy you eventually wears off and you start missing that love-hate relationship. When was the last time you spent quality time with your partners-in-crime? Isn’t it about time you had a siblings-only trip?
8. The Ultimate All-Girls/All-Boys Travel
This. This is the real deal. Even thinking about heading off with your girls or boys can be exciting. This is the trip that is loaded with crazy adventures, amazing vacation spots, and ultimate fun. This is a perfect time to unburden your woes, create new memories and strengthen your bond with your friends.
9. Long Term Slow Trip
This means taking a few months or a year off to travel to different places around the globe or exploring a country. In this trip you travel at your own pace, stay for a long duration at each place to soak in the culture and norms of that city/town. For this travel, people usually opt for cheap accommodations and food to fund their travel for a longer duration. The long-term slow trip becomes more of a lifestyle than a trip.
10. Friends-Only Travel
This type of trip needs no introduction! A trip with friends is what everyone dreams about, even as kids. There are amazing destinations where one can visit with their friends. The place you want to go, the adventures you are looking for depends solely on you and your friends. You can head to an island to enjoy a relaxing time at the seashore, head off to an adventure travel destination, or have each one of you pick a different city to travel. The possibilities are endless!
11. Group Travel
Group traveling is also a popular type of travel. Heading off to a destination with a group of fellow students or adventure seekers can be a thrilling experience. No matter where you want to go or what you want to do, there is a group tour for everything! There are many traveling agencies that organize group tours where you can get more information. The best thing about group travel is that you don’t have to make an effort and spend time making an itinerary. The entire plan is already created by the agent and all you need to do is take time off and enjoy the adventure.
12. Luxury Travel
Luxury travel is all about indulging in the best possible services, sumptuous and lavish accommodation, unrivaled and exquisite dining, educational and informative guides – all the works! This is a travel trip with no pressure of time, no stress and getting all your expectations exceeded. Typically, these trips include heading off to a resort, wellness retreat or spa resort to help relax and de-stress from your hectic everyday life.
13. Weekend Travel
Weekend traveling is a skill, very few have mastered. Typically, people think traveling requires at least a week so you can properly enjoy, but many travel enthusiasts fulfill their wanderlust by heading off to an adventure on a weekend as well. This means looking out for cheaper flights, finding a shorter road route to a city less traveled, and packing light. While it sounds like a whirlwind, a weekend break is a great means of escaping your hectic life and heading back to work on Monday, recharged.
14. Gap Year Travel
This is when you take a year off your studies and travel to a different country to either visit your relatives, study a course, volunteer or to do a short-term job. Thinking of a gap year typically conjures up the image of a young student going off trekking, or getting some work experience before entering the ‘real world’. However, a gap year can be taken at any age or any point of your career. It simply means to take a year off and travel anywhere you want to go.
15. Road Trip
Pack your bags, pick out some fun tunes, buckle that seat belt and head out on the road for an exciting road trip. Whether you rent out an RV or caravan or take your own car, this is bound to be a thrilling adventure. Road trips are fun with friends, family and even when you are alone. You discover new places that you haven’t traveled to, stumble across beautiful routes and meet interesting people.
16. DIY Travel
Majority of travelers opt for travel agents or seek someone’s help when making their travel itinerary. While those trips turn out to be amazing since they include places, food, and activities highly recommended by frequent travels, creating your own itinerary has its own perks. You get to decide where you want to go and create your itinerary as you go along. These kinds of trips help you learn various travel hacks, save money, and give you an opportunity to go to places less traveled!
17. Visiting Relatives or Friends
Another most common type of travel is visiting your family or friends abroad. The major advantage of this travel is that you already have a place to stay, and people to show you around the country. This means you can stay for a longer duration and get to explore the country from the insider’s perspective. However, there can be one downside, you might not have the freedom to explore the country on your own and have to follow the itinerary created by your relatives or friends.
18. Volunteer Travel
Volunteering can indeed be a rewarding experience since you are helping those in need and adding value to a community. Heading out to a new country to volunteer can be even more thrilling and satisfying as you not only help people but also go through an experience of a lifetime.
Whether you work at an organic farm in Italy, help out at an orphanage in Cambodia, or help build a school in Africa, you are sure to have a gratifying trip. The volunteer cause can be different, depending on the traveler and there are various non-profit organizations that offer meals and accommodations for their helpers, which further cut done the cost of expense. You get to travel while also making this world a better place. Sounds great?
19. No Destination Travel
Packing light and set off to wherever the road takes you. Many people head to the airport and get the first flight leaving, hitchhiking or heading out in their car without a destination in mind. This is a great way of exploring the globe with the added mystery of not knowing where you will end up.
20. Working Abroad
Working abroad is a completely different experience than vacationing or traveling. Working in a different country provides you with the opportunity to experience life as a local, as well as puts you in unique situations you couldn’t have experienced in your own homeland. It is a truly enriching experience immersing in a completely new culture.
This type of travel can be done anywhere or anytime. Getting an exciting work experience in a foreign country during your summer vacations, taking a semester off to get real-life experience, opting for an internship program, working abroad for a few months or a few years – this type of travel would give you the work experience, as well as knowledge about the culture and traditions of the country.
This type of travel can also beef up your resume. You will surely attain professional and personal growth by working abroad while also enjoying the travel trip.
21. Adventure Travel
What is life without an adventure? If you are an adventure lover then this type of travel is perfect for you. Adventure travel is loaded with thrilling things to do. You can go camping, mountaineering, trekking, or do water sports on any destination you want to travel to.
22. Student Exchange Program
Opting for a student exchange program is one of the best types of travel! This is a great way to get a taste of traveling at a young age while also experiencing a different culture. In the past decade, many great student exchange programs have popped up all over the world. This means you have an opportunity to travel to and study in almost any country you want to.
This creates lasting memories, fosters friendships, and helps you learn inspirational lessons. These student exchange programs are open to all ages, majors, and levels of language fluency. Moreover, it adds credits to your degree program. Some of the great things about this program are the various student discounts, financial aid and scholarship opportunities you can score.
23. Full Degree Program
Aside from student exchange programs which typically last a semester, you can also opt for a full degree program in another country. Pursuing your studies abroad gives you the best of both worlds. In this travel, you get an opportunity to pursue your entire degree in a different country. Throughout your time there, you get to meet locals and other foreigners. Moreover, you have a home base in a new country from where you can head out and explore different cities and towns of that country.
Many universities and colleges offer scholarships and other financial aid for international students. There are hostels and other student accommodations that you can easily afford as you study and explore the country. Some countries even allow students to work for specific hours a week without the need for a work visa. This means you would be earning some money to indulge in your travel adventures.
24. Romantic Travel
This is another popular type of travel. Heading off to an exotic location with your partner is an amazing way of spending quality time with one another, rekindling your romance and experiencing exciting adventures together. Whether you are newlyweds, engaged, married for years, recently started dating or have been together for years, romantic travel strengthens your relationship and brings you closer to
one another away from the daily routine and stressful life. Selecting the right destination mostly depends on your taste. Are you both looking for an adventure? Do you want a whimsical romantic destination? Do historic places interest you both? Are you food lovers? No matter what the country you choose, you will make great memories that will last a lifetime.
25. Travel to Teach English
Modern-day travel has made its way to another exciting type of travel – traveling to teach English or other languages/subject. Opting to teach abroad not only gives you an opportunity to travel to an exciting new destination but also pays. This is a great long-term paying opportunity, which will enable you to come back home with a good amount of savings along with great lessons learned and exhilarating stories to share with others.
Moreover, this type of travel will teach you how to budget, which will surely be useful for future travels. There are numerous teaching opportunities available all over the world, from remote villages to major cities where you will learn learns from all walks of life and different age groups. This opportunity also comes with professional growth like tutoring skills, cross-cultural communication, leadership skills and more.
26. Understanding-Your-Roots Travel
Ever wondered where your ancestors are from? What better travel than the travel that helps you understand and get to know your roots? From lush mountains to relaxing countryside, embark on the journey to discover your roots and learn more about your family.
There is no prime time or right age to travel. With such a vast collection of travel types, you can embark on any travel journey you want to explore. Whether you like everything properly planned in a group tour, prefer the mystery of no destination travel, enjoy solo travel or prefer family or friends travel, there are many amazing destinations for you to explore. There is bound to be a country and type of travel that can fit your time frame and budget. Don’t just think or dream about traveling, pack your bags, pick a destination and head out. The world out there is waiting to be explored.
Future of Travel - 13 Trends to Watch
Below you find thirteen of the most significant tourism trends right now and in the future.
1. Solo Travel
Leisure travel used to be a family affair or something that couples undertook together. While that’s still the case for many, more and more people are choosing to strike out on their own. Enjoying a solo trip is no longer so unusual and tourist trends increasingly reflect this. The needs of solo travelers are diverse. Some simply want to travel without the distraction of a companion. Others are young singles looking for social activities or to find a partner. Some widowed seniors even use long-term hotel stays or cruises as a luxurious alternative to conventional elder care. These tourism trends are set to grow and grow.
Video: 15 Perfect Destinations For Any Solo Traveler
2. Eco Travel
Tourism trends are heavily influenced by the concerns and mores of the customer base. As a new generation becomes increasingly relevant in the marketplace, the ideals driving their purchasing decisions create new tourism trends. Eco travel is just one example of these tourism trends, reflecting a growing concern among today’s travelers for ethical and sustainable tourism options. Eco travel includes simple changes, such as the availability of carbon credits when booking a flight or the option to rent an electric instead of a conventional vehicle. More sophisticated examples might include tourism with a volunteer element, perhaps working on a nature reserve or engaging in conservation work.
Video: Ecotourism – A Sustainable Way To Travel
3. Local experience
Today’s tourists don’t want to be insulated from the places they visit inside a cultural bubble. They want to engage with and participate in the local culture. From enjoying local cuisine to celebrating regional festivals and holidays, local experiences are set to become some of the top tourist trends to watch. One example of a popular local experience would be visiting Japan during a major festival, renting formal Japanese clothes to wear, consuming regional delicacies and engaging in traditional games or cultural activities. Another might be a long stay with a host family in the destination country as a means to learn more about the local culture.
Video: A Local Travel Guide of Amsterdam
Video: Food Travel Vlog about Local Food in Hong Kong
4. Personalization
You’re probably familiar with those ads that pop up on social media and certain other websites, ads related to things you’ve looked at or purchased online. This is just one example of personalization. As well as in marketing tourism more effectively, personalization can apply to every aspect of the tourist experience. Today’s consumers expect experiences that closely match their personal preferences, from destinations to accommodation and the kinds of activities they’ll engage in. The more closely an experience can be tailored to a client’s desires and expectations, the more likely they are to return and to use the same service again.
The concept of combining leisure and tourism with travel for business is hardly new: “bizcations” have been popular for many decades. As the tourism sector attempts to woo a more frugal customer base, however, the concept of bleisure travel has become increasingly relevant among tourism trends. Bleisure travel tourism can take many forms. Sometimes a client who is travelling for work decides to engage in tourism on their downtime; in other cases, a company may arrange for tourist activities on work trips as a perk. Another increasingly popular set of tourism trends relate to the “digital nomad” phenomenon where online workers engage in travel.
Video: The State of Business Travel — Bleisure Benefits
One of the more eye-catching examples of these particular tourism trends is Connie, the Hilton Hotel chain’s robot concierge. Other hotels have also got in on the robot-staff trend, installing interactive robots to handle certain reception duties or even having them serve food and drink to visitors. This kind of novelty application, however, is far from the only one. Many customers now book their travel and accommodation with the help of internet chatbots, specifically tailored AI who can handle queries and assist customers with useful information when human operators are unavailable.
As well as the aforementioned chatbots, artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly important to the tourism industry. Machine learning technology is now firmly entrenched in the marketing of the tourism sector, with AI helping to personalise the experience of finding and booking tours and trips. AI is also increasingly valuable in contexts such as smart hotel rooms, identifying the likely needs of guests and fine-tuning the environment and services to fit the guest’s needs and preferences. Artificial intelligence is finding applications everywhere, from customer service to security. Future AI tourism trends to watch out for might include self-driving vehicles and virtual guides for tourism.
Recognition technology is one of those increasingly important travel and tourism trends that’s starting to creep into a multitude of different areas. One of the most familiar applications of recognition technology for a frequent traveller is the bank of automatic gates at some borders. The gates are capable of reading the data on the traveller’s passport or ID card and matching it to their face using a camera and facial recognition technology. Recognition technology is one of the big tourism trends in the hospitality industry too, with voice recognition becoming more and more popular as a method of control in smart hotel rooms.
Video: KLM’s smart pack assistant on Google Home
Video: Airports roll out facial recognition technology
The IoT is relevant to many tourism trends. IoT devices are gadgets equipped with a microprocessor and some form of digital connectivity, allowing them to connect to, and be controlled from, the internet. IoT devices include heating and cooling systems, entertainment systems and other items often found in a hotel room, giving rise to “smart” hotel rooms. The IoT is also used to integrate services in a hospitality setting, for example by allowing guests to book activities (a session in the hotel’s spa, swimming in the pool, training in the gym etc) or request such things as room service or extra linen via a hub or a smartphone application.
Virtual reality (VR) technology offers many opportunities for tourism management. Tourism trends involving VR include high-end entertainment applications, some of them combining physical elements like controllers or movable seating and platforms. Sports simulators are increasingly popular, ranging from virtual baseball and other familiar sports to extreme sports such as skiing or snowboarding. Many extreme activities can also be simulated using VR, such as hang-gliding and other adventures. VR can also allow tourists to “visit” destination that are too fragile for physical tours, such as archeological sites: structures can be recreated in VR and tourists can enjoy the experience of walking around them unimpeded.
Video: A Guided Virtual Reality City Tour Through Rome
Where VR simulates entire environments and experiences, augmented reality combines real-world experiences and virtual elements. A familiar example would be the smartphone game Pokémon Go, where imaginary creatures are superimposed on real-time footage of the player’s environment. In the tourist industry, this is obviously very useful: instead of fantasy monsters. AR smartphone apps can show tourists information about the area they’re exploring. This could be historical details about buildings and landmarks, or listings and menus for entertainment venues and local eateries. Museums make increasing use of AR, allowing visitors to view artefacts with their original appearance as a virtual overlay. Other augmented reality applications might include internet-enabled virtual maps.
Video: Menu AR – menu of restaurants in augmented reality
Video: Example Augmented Reality Within the Hotel Industry
Healthy food and the kind of fare consumed by tourists used to be antonyms in the minds of many travellers, with holidays traditionally representing a chance to break one’s diet and indulge in forbidden treats. Today’s travellers know that delicious and nutritious are not exclusive concepts. Demand for excellent cuisine with a view to better nutrition is driving new tourism trends. The modern tourist wants to know that the food they’re eating is as healthy as it is delicious. The organic food movement is also affecting tourism trends, with more eateries and hotels offering organic options. Other special diets are also represented.
Video: Organic Holiday in Italy
13. Customer Experience
Of course, the customer experience has always been central to the tourist industry. With new technologies and an ever-broadening array of options for tourists, enhancing the customer experience has never been more vital. In the final analysis, customer experience is what will make or break your business. Fine-tuning the experience can make the difference between creating a loyal repeat customer who boosts your business via word of mouth, and one who drops out at the booking stage. Everything from the web interface where your clients book their trips to the very last day of their journey needs to be as enjoyable as possible.
Video: Technology and Customer Experience Across the Travel Industry
Leave a Reply