Insiders Reveal What's Trending in Travel Right Now

While trends can provide valuable information on a topic like traveling, it all depends on who you ask and what report you read.

Here, a few travel agents share what they see as the biggest travel trends right now:

Millennial Travel

Oli Russell-Cowan sees millennials focusing their travel plans on experiences, adventure and cultural immersion.

“Millennials are trading in hotel chains and big box for local experiences, cultural events and authentic cuisine,” said Russell-Cowan, with Rad Season, a Sydney, Australia-based adventure travel and action sports startup.

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He also said that social media use among this demographic is shaping the way they book their experiences:

“They are moving farther away from the traditional travel agent and toward unique platforms that allow them to rent a treehouse in someone's backyard or couch surf through Europe. Social media documentation (user-generated content) of these experiences are responsible for encouraging other Gen Y'ers to pursue their own travel experiences that are different from what everyone else is doing.”

Millennials also want to travel in a way that reduces their footprint and gives back to the community they're visiting.

“Not to mention the increase in the number of remote jobs contributing to the influx of professionals traveling for months on end to experience the world, all while keeping a job,” said Russell-Cowan. “Gen Y is re-shaping the way we travel, and companies like Rad Season, Airbnb and HipCamp are meeting those travel needs."

READ MORE:  The Latest Travel Trends for 2017

Nomad Travel

Daniel Hauptfeld, marketing director of Katarina Line, said there are many nomads who live by traveling: 

“We have quite a few repeat clients that really enjoy traveling, and they are always on the go. Some have been to every continent and many of the countries in the world. We love those kinds of clients because they take great pleasure in the experience of travel.

"Everything is a great joy to them, and this 'joy of life' is infectious and affects other travelers around them who soon find themselves having a great time too.”

Philanthropic Travel 

Rafa Mayer has seen a substantial uptick in the number of visitors specifically seeking out philanthropic itineraries and activities.

“It’s not specific to one group,” said Mayer, founder and CEO of Say Hueque, a travel agency in South America.

“We have noticed this with family travelers, retirees, honeymooners and more. In fact, we recently organized a trip for a group of high school students from the United States who spent time volunteering at a local school—cleaning the grounds, painting the building and practicing English with the students.”

Orlando

When it comes to trending destinations, the results change based on how companies conducted their research and who they interviewed. For example, Marriott International’s U.S. Summer Travel Trends Report 2017 was based on analysis of two million Marriott.com searches and bookings during April and May and surveyed 2,000 consumers.

The result? Orlando is hot and was the most-searched-for destination for Memorial Day Weekend. For the Fourth of July, it’s Washington D.C. and New Orleans on top of the list.

READ MORE:  Orlando Hosted Record 68 Million Visitors in 2016

Mexico 

On the other hand, the AARP Travel Research: 2017 Travel Trends found that boomers are planning to escape to Mexico, the Caribbean and British Isles (UK, Ireland) for their upcoming international trips.

Their domestic trips, although covering a variety of cities, are most often being planned for a Florida or California destination.