New year, new holiday? January is the month when many make a dash for Skyscanner and book a getaway to get them through the year ahead. Today I’m putting together three of my favourite 2019 travel trends to inspire you. You’ll also find my recommendations for the best destinations and hotels to experience them at.

I’ve hand-picked travel trends for families, couples and adventurers and budgets big and small. Check them out and discover the perfect inspiration for your trip.

Exclusivity

Whether it’s a private pool or private rental, more and more people are looking for boltholes they don’t have to share with other guests. Surprisingly, private rentals can work out cheaper too if you choose carefully and use sites like Airbnb.

No expenses spared

For the ultimate taste of your own private paradise, check into Jade Mountain St Lucia. Suites here are called ‘Sanctuaries’ for very good reason. Including a private infinity pool, jaw-dropping Caribbean Sea and Piton mountain views and only three walls – they promise an experience you won’t find anywhere else. With the fourth wall removed, your journey from lounge to pool is limitless, as is your view…

Staying in one of these suites, I wouldn’t be surprised if you didn’t leave your room for the entire trip. But should you wish to, Jade Mountain’s Celestial Terrace offers the perfect setting for dinner for two.

On a budget

Go one step further than booking a budget-friendly villa rental and choose a destination with a great exchange rate. Perched on a turquoise river, flanked by mountains and just a short sail from the famous Iztuzu turtle beach, Dalyan in Turkey is a top choice. That means all those lovely extras like a pool, hot tub or prime location are much more affordable.

Spending slightly less on your accommodation also means you can do more during your trip, when exchange rates that fall in your favour can again benefit you.

In Dalyan, charter your own boat for a sunrise sail to Koycegiz Lake or venture round the coast to Gocek, where you could head out on an idyllic 12 islands tour. For a low-key day, hop on the river taxi down to Iztuzu beach past the famous rock tombs and walk the sands to the turtle sanctuary.

Off-the-grid

In contrast to the draw of the bright city lights, for 2019 even more travellers will be dipping their toes in the off-the-grid trend. In a bid to escape it all and switch off, wild camping and remote retreats to dark sky reserves are becoming big 2019 travel trends.

You could go hiking, stargazing and possibly even see the Northern Lights. Wild camping is a much more rustic experience, but off-the-grid hotels can still be totally luxurious.

No expenses spared

Jump on a flight to Lapland in Finland and stay in one of the four Aurora Domes on the shores of a glassy lake.

Each dome showcases amazing views and features a cosy interior. After a day divided between the on-site sauna and reindeer farm, make your way back to the dome and light the log burner. Then all that’s left to do is curl up in bed and watch the sky. On a clear winter night you could see the Northern Lights!

On a budget

The cheapest way to take advantage of off-the-grid travel is to visit destinations that welcome wild camping.

For example, if you live in the UK, you could head up to Scotland by car, train or plane and camp in a tent or motorhome in designated locations along the turquoise shores of Loch Long. Remember to secure your permit if you’ll be staying on this loch between March and September.

For a more active holiday, you could challenge yourselves to a week of hiking and wild camping in the Scottish Highlands. Chains of centuries-old bothies line the route, offering weary walkers a roof under which to sleep. These are very much back to basics. You’ll need good camping gear, a cosy sleeping bag and your own cooking equipment for this off-grid experience.

Wellness retreats

With our lives often becoming a busy rush of meetings, commutes and chores, powered by plenty of cups of coffee, it’s no surprise that each of these travel trends offers an escape from the everyday.

The travel trends for wellness retreats take that one step further. They offer a nurturing, tranquil experience for you to reconnect and rebalance. They sometimes include a digital detox, too, so emails and social media can’t creep into your trip.

No expenses spared

Jog past palms, try yoga on the beach and fuel up with a nourishing breakfast before heading to the spa for a massage or facial with the Pure Power programme at Santiburi Koh Samui.

The hotel itself has a stunning location on a private beach, so fill your day with water and land sports. Guided treks through the surrounding lush vegetation invite you to reconnect with the natural landscape.

On a budget

Shorter haul also tends to mean lower cost flights, so Greece is a great destination to find your zen without spending a fortune to get there.

Miraggio Thermal Spa Resort in Halkidiki ticks all the boxes. Yoga, fitness classes and soothing spa programmes are all part of the experience here. It’s indulgent, relaxing and undeniably Grecian.

Want to experience one of these travel trends for yourself this year? Let me do the hard work for you. I’ll use my experience uncovering hidden gem hotels and tracking down cheap flights to help you plan the perfect holiday. Tell me where you’d like to go and let me take care of the rest.

Which of these travel trends would you most like to experience?

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links which mean that if you choose to book through it I earn a small commission at no cost to you. I appreciate your support to keep this site up and running!

10 COMMENTS

  1. These 3 are all interesting but I always stick to getting off the beaten track and doing it on a budget. I’ve been doing that when I started blogging, still doing that and I’m planning to keep doing it 🙂 Nothing wrong with some luxury but that’s the way I role, I guess 🙂

  2. I did a detox at a property on Koh Samui a few years ago. I can’t remember the name, but it was fantastic and affordable. I would love to spend some time at the Miraggio Thermal Spa in Greece.

  3. Some great tips here. We are planning Greece so your information is very timely for Halkidiki. The yoga and fitness classes look interesting.

  4. What a cool article! Who doesn’t love an all exclusive private retreat and nobody does it better than the Balinese. Love your off-the-grid suggestions, especially those Aurora domes in Lapland. That is such a big thing on my list and when I checked out the prices, they were not as unaffordable as I thought, still expensive but not out of our reach. I’m not a camper but i know how different my travel would look like if I did.

  5. These are some interesting trends that you are looking at in 2019. We would love to head over to an exclusive getaway in Turkey, a cruise into the sunset sounds so enticing. We would also be looking more at experential and immersive experiences in the year ahead.

  6. This was an interesting read. I agree people are moving towards more personalized experience. With the increase, indispensable income travel is becoming more affordable and people want to spend of experiences than real estate, gold etc. going off the grid is also a trend I see a lot these days which you said would increase this year.

  7. I’ve seen quite a lot of people visiting Jade Mountain over the last six months or so. It looks absolutely amazing. I’d definitely love to stay there. As you say – I don’t think I’d leave the room!

  8. For this year we’re hoping to do some more off the beaten track travel. We absolutely love hiking and the outdoors so the Scottish Highlands sounds perfect for us.

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