Published December 18th, 2023

Photography by Claudia Laroye unless otherwise noted.

As this year draws inexorably to a close, a modern traveller’s thoughts turn to future holiday planning. This time of year is filled with articles extolling next year’s Go Lists and prognostications about what trends, trip styles and destinations will be hot for the coming 12 months. We’ve read the tea leaves and gazed into our Modern Traveller crystal ball to curate these six travel trends that we believe will define travel in 2024.

In search of transformation

Rest? Sure. Relaxation? Maybe. Transformation? Check! Travellers will continue to seek out experiences that provide meaning, achievement, and personal transformation in 2024. Whether that’s walking the Camino de Santiago in Spain or Shikoku Pilgrimage in Japan, travelling to volunteer at an ethical animal sanctuary or working on one’s best self on a fitness retreat in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia, travellers are seeking meaningful, mindful experiences on their holidays, where personal growth, edification and service are top of mind.

Greater emphasis on sustainable travel

Sustainable and stylish are increasingly overlapping, with travellers looking for experiences and accommodations that have real environmental and economic sustainability alongside touches of luxury. It’s easier than ever to find and choose a more sustainable vacation property. A prime example is Booking’s Travel Sustainable Badge program, highlighting properties that have taken steps to become more sustainable. The program is independently verified, identifying a set of the most impactful practices for a property to consider in five key areas: waste, energy and greenhouse gases, water, supporting local communities and protecting nature.

For the 64% of global travellers who believe that sustainable travel is important, per Skyscanner’s 2024 trends study, the climate-conscious program Tomorrow’s Air allows them to put their money where their beliefs are. The program provides travel education and supports climate innovators working to clean our air. Travellers can invest in supporting the work, funding the scale up of innovation through orders for sustainable aviation fuel and/or carbon dioxide removal with permanent storage

Moving for the music

Thanks to Taylor Swift’s Eras, Beyonce’s Renaissance and U2’s Sphere residency in Las Vegas, the economic, cultural and travel impact of ‘Gig Tripping’ came into its own in 2023 and will continue to thrive in 2024. According to Skyscanner’s survey of Canadian travellers, 32% would fly short haul distances to see their favorite artist live. And 40% of 20,000 global consumers in Expedia’s Unpack ‘24 study would travel for a concert as an excuse to visit a new place, especially in pursuit of lower ticket costs. Unexpected places on Expedia’s list of top tour tourism destinations are Kuala Lumpur, Edmonton, and Mexico City.

Ice, ice baby

It’s getting hot out there. In booking.com's survey of more than 27,000 travellers across 22 countries and territories, more than half of respondents (56%) say that warmer temperatures at home will see them use their vacation to cool down elsewhere. Water remains a priority, with 75% agreeing that being close to water instantly makes them feel more relaxed while more than a third of respondents are interested in water-centric trips in next year. This could be part of a growing shift, as most of the respondents’ report that climate change will impact the way they plan their vacation in 2024. Hello Hokkaido, Iceland, Scandinavia and the Canadian north in the winter and off-seasons.

Set-jetting travel

The Expedia Group compiled its first-ever ‘set-jetting forecast’ predicting what entertainment-inspired destinations travelers will head to in 2024, based on popular and upcoming show and film releases.

These set-jetting destinations include:

Thailand inspired by “The White Lotus” season 3.
Romania inspired by “Wednesday” season 2.
Malta inspired by the new “Gladiator 2” film.
Paris inspired by “Emily in Paris” season 4.
Scottish Highlands inspired by the remaining seasons of “Outlander.”
London, Bath and Windsor, UK inspired by the new season of “Bridgerton” and “The Crown” season 6.
Florida Keys & Bahamas inspired by the new Apple TV show “Bad Monkey.”
Australia inspired by both Baz Luhrmann’s “Faraway Downs” and the Mad Max prequel “Furiosa.”
Greece inspired by new spy action thriller “Argylle.”

The travel game-changer: Artificial Intelligence

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is here, and its impact will continue to change and upend the travel universe next year. Skyscanner’s study notes that 63% of Canadian (and 44% of global) travellers plan to tap into AI’s potential for more efficient trip planning in 2024. With Generative AI, travellers have an “assistant” when booking and planning trips, travel specialists have tools to market and micro-target potential customers, and property owners, from hoteliers to vacation rental hosts, will leverage Gen-AI to reduce redundant work while running their business.

6 Key Travel Trends in 2024