A lot of people say that 2014 will be a good year. We don’t know about that, but we’re sure feeling hopeful! After doing some snooping around, we’ve found ten travel trends for 2014 that might change the way we travel.
1. Space travel
If you have £150,000 lying around and have no idea what to spend it on, how about a trip into space? Now you can book your place on a Virgin Galactic spaceship and fulfil your lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut. Well, even if that’s not your lifelong dream, you have to admit that it’s pretty amazing being one of the few who got to see the earth from space.
2. Self-Check-in
Online check-in is great, but how amazing would it be if we didn’t have to stand in line anymore to check our bags? British Airways has started to introduce digital bag tags that allow passengers to insert and alter their own flight information. If this works, it should definitely speed things up at the airport.
3. Child-free flights
It seems that more and more airlines are considering the idea of introducing child-free flights or child-free zones. Often enough, families flying with children will find themselves sitting towards the back rather than the front of the plane.
4. Smartphones as hotel keys
In 2014 we will see an increasing number of hotels chains introducing additional services to facilitate the check-in process for their customers. Aside from being able to check-in via text message, we will soon be able to use our smartphones to open our rooms.
5. The terminal of the future
In June of 2014, Heathrow plans to open the most hi-tech terminal seen to date. The Queen’s Terminal will be equipped with all sorts of improvements and services, such as self-check-in scanners and restaurants that let you order via Twitter.
6. International travel will boom
The United Nations predicts that international travel will boom in 2014. Some of the top travel markets this year include India, South America and China.
7. Twitter reservations
We already knew that some restaurants use social media networks to take orders, but now it looks like hotels are also starting to launch social media booking apps. One of the first hotel chains to start using Twitter for bookings was Loews Hotels, and we’re guessing it won’t be the last.
8. Bigger seats, better in-flight experience
Many airlines, including JetBlue and American Airlines, are looking to improve the on-board experience by making the seats more spacious, as well as introducing premium cabins and entertainment systems. Soon enough we’ll be so comfy, we won’t want to get off the plane!
9. Travel apps to the rescue!
Soon enough most online travel agencies, hotels and airlines will be using mobile travel apps to inspire, facilitate the booking process and make travel planning a lot easier.
10. Room service in a bag
In an attempt to make dining easier for their guests, some hotels have started to introduce a take-away or do-it-yourself room service option. It’s still unclear whether this trend will pick up, but they sure deserve points for trying.
Have you heard of any other interesting or peculiar travel trends for 2014? Drop us a comment!
