1. Accommodation: "family" hotel
Did you know that many home appliance companies around the world are opening their own hotels? This is a smart business model because in addition to staying at a hotel, guests will also tend to buy the items they see displayed inside their own accommodation - killing two birds with one stone, right?
Many home appliance companies have applied this clever move such as: MADE.com brand in Manhattan's NoMad district, Muji brand of Japan, Boathouse floating hotel in London, Vipp brand of Denmark...
2. Family travel: nomadic travel
While some parents are still struggling with the expenses of their children and only dare to plan a vacation with their children in the summer to avoid missing out on schoolwork, a minority of other families choose to join adventures around the world, both parents and children will live, experience the world, learn and explore for a long time. This trend is being enthusiastically responded to by the Instagram community with the hashtag "nomadic sabbaticals" - meaning nomads who travel constantly on every journey and learn everything from their surroundings.
In 2019, we will hear more about phrases like "homeschooling", "unschooling"... and at the same time, the distance between families will be closer as the whole family has more time together with activities during a memorable "gap year" (or several).
3. Group travel: Exclusive home rental model
For a long time, groups of friends or large families often rented vacation villas together for their long trips. However, in 2019, this trend was replaced by a more "luxurious" and exclusive form called Beyond by AirBnb - a "social network" that operates luxury homes and allows users and renters to have customized experiences.
This model allows members to censor and cross-check each other's houses or properties in each other's space, from castles, villas to galleries, art huts... all completely exclusive, transparent and worthy. This list currently lists more than 1,000 properties in more than 50 countries and has more than 10,000 users.
4. Couple travel: daring journeys
Nowadays, couples have replaced the romance and warmth of their journeys with more challenging and adventurous trips because they realize the increasing need to understand and get closer to their partner.
Instead of enjoying the peace, these couples choose to embrace their fears together, experience discomfort, dive into harsh realities, and engage in ambitious physical activities that can bring new inspiration to their relationship, while recognizing the respect and intimacy found between individuals along the way.
5. Traveling alone: Symbiosis
Traveling solo can be lonely as hotels aren’t the easiest places to make friends, hostels can be uncomfortable and Airbnbs can be isolating as they are sometimes located in remote residential areas rather than in the city centre. However, if solo travel is still a hobby and a passion, the best solution is to live with another individual!
Basically, it is not really a solo trip, but this symbiosis does not mean that you have an extra companion or that the freedom of exploration is taken away or forced to share. This is currently considered a quite popular form of tourism in modern society, supported by many young people. It is simply a common meeting of single people in a space or on a journey.
6. Spa: CBD Treatment
Nowadays, many people, especially women, not only choose to travel as a regular vacation but also make it more meaningful by enjoying the ultimate luxury amenities to regenerate energy and body. Spa treatment is a typical example.
Cannabidiol (CBD), a non-psychoactive compound derived from the cannabis plant, is becoming extremely popular for its medicinal and healing properties in spas around the world. Although not yet legal in Vietnam, you can absolutely experience this model in other countries where it is licensed. More than just a vacation, investing in body treatment and self-care will help you and your journey to be more energetic.
7. Ecology: Zero Leftovers movement
Did you know that the UK throws away £20 billion worth of food waste every year? Many countries are now looking at ways to tackle this problem and it has been cited as a key issue to tackle in order to help the environment become cleaner and for each country to reduce waste in its consumer lifestyle.
While travelers and locals alike need to be conscious of how much they consume in each place, leading hotels around the world are already implementing ways to improve their environmental footprint, such as the Langham London’s rapid composting system, the Armani Hotel in Dubai’s attempt to reduce 80% of its kitchen waste by turning it into soil nutrients, and the new Salt of Palmar Hotel in Mauritius’ launch of a hydroponic vegetable farm to help sustain itself. Hopefully, initiatives like this will soon become the norm across all countries.
8. Technology: Cryptocurrency
Whether you’re withdrawing money from an ATM abroad or exchanging cash in advance for your trip, you’re likely to lose some money in exchange rates and commissions. While the average traveler today (including in Vietnam) is unlikely to have a wallet full of Bitcoin, cryptocurrencies promise to be a universal, secure, and fee-free payment system in the future.
Specifically, from 2019, the use of cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum, LiteCoin and Bitcoin to book trips will come into effect. Currently, 450,000 hotels around the world (including the famous Marina Bay Sands in Singapore and the Ritz-Carlton in Tokyo) accept Ethereum payments through an app called Tripi. A handful of other companies such as Cheapair, Peach Air, Surf Air, Air Baltic are also starting to build the capacity to handle such transactions.
9. Accessories: a pair of lightweight shoes
A good pair of sneakers is always an essential item to take you to any land. However, it is not just a pair of shoes! The trend in 2019 is to leave your footprints on your living environment with a pair of environmentally friendly shoes!
Research shows that just one step away from your sneakers can create 13kg of carbon dioxide in the production of plastic, synthetic rubber and nylon. While it certainly doesn’t compare to the toxic emissions from factories or transport, travellers can reduce their impact a little by choosing more ethically produced footwear. There are plenty of eco-friendly shoe brands to choose from right now, including Adidas x Parley, Ecoalf, Baabuk and Vivobare Feet.
10. Means: biometric airport
Thanks to the recent release of improved iPhone models, most consumers have become accustomed to using fingerprints and facial recognition to bypass the need to enter passwords for security. And it’s great that this technology is now widely used at modern airports around the world! You will no longer have to wait in long lines to check-in, board flights and enter immigration with manual checking of boarding passes and passports because biometric technology has replaced them.
Over the past year, British Airways has been testing biometric gates at US airports including Orlando, New York and Miami. London Heathrow will also launch the world's largest biometric-enabled product rollout in 2019, including baggage drop and self-boarding at a cost of £50 million. The aim is to enable passengers to walk through every checkpoint from arrival to the plane without any documents or complicated check-in procedures, reducing journey times by a third, making every trip easier and smoother for travelers. According to SITA, 77% of airports and 71% of airlines are planning major programs or research and design to manage biometric IDs in the next five years. In Dubai, Emirates has launched a new 'biometric pathway' at Dubai International airport, while Delta Air Lines has introduced fingerprint-based entry at its domestic Delta Sky Club lounge.
