Taking traveling to new heights

TOURIST destinations have improved their practices and regulations to ensure both the sanctity of the spots and their tourists. AFP

As the world grows, tourism develops with it. New landscapes, activities and experiences make traveling more fun and filled with adventure. And as the new decade comes rolling in an endless list of New Year Resolutions, bucket lists and goals to do in the future, travel goals would be among the first, exciting things to tick off.

To make it more meaningful and life-changing, travel agencies have predicted the shift of the new travel trends in 2020. Here are five next travel options:

1. Ecotourism / Eco-travel. As the new generation of travelers has complete understanding and awareness of climate change and its consequences the world is currently facing, sustainable practices have been implemented in most tourist destinations in the past few years —– it’s the kind of travel that helps the environment and helps locals make a living.

This has been a revolution that is becoming a solution to the world’s ongoing environmental crisis. Travelers choose eco-lodges and prefer to jump from one place to another using bikes or just plain walking. More restaurants serve vegan cuisine, or food locally grown in the area and there are also tourist shops that sell organic and

MORE options for accommodations are offering experiences that are close to nature and environment-friendly. AFP

It’s more of basking in nature and appreciating the wonder of not being harmful to the environment while having fun.

2. Going cashless. It’s such a hassle having to pull out cash and coins from pockets in the haste of traveling, not to mention going through all the trouble of getting currency exchanged when jumping to and from different countries. In 2020, as new technological advancements are changing the world, payments are easier by using phone applications.

Leave worries behind about losing wallets, overspending without regulation or the risk of carrying wads of money. Hotels, restaurants and services these days can be paid through cashless methods. Some applications online have features that do the currency exchange in just a tap.

A shop worker display a poster offering a two percent return system when using cashless payment at a convenience store in Tokyo on early October 1, 2019. – The long-awaited and twice delayed consumption tax hike started on October 1. (Photo by – / JIJI PRESS / AFP) / Japan OUT

3. Solo vacations. Travel with other people has been the norm, the better to share the experience in the places visited. In the new decade, more travelers will be comfortable with the idea of doing things alone; therefore, solo trips are going to be the go-to break from all the stress, focusing on experiencing all of it alone and without pressure. Book a flight to wherever and plan the experience just the way you want it.

4. Business and leisure traveling. Due to the increasing demands of work, it’s hard not to do any while on vacation.

Whoever said business can’t be mixed with leisure? People have their phones or laptops with them whenever and wherever to keep connected and their work within reach. So whether it’s on a beach or at the mountaintop, the view and the calm help people focus, getting inspiration and clearing the mind off the confines of the office.

5. Transformative travel. The year 2020 is a time for self-reflection and personal transformations — and traveling is just one way to do it. From looking for closer connections through interacting with locals, isolating oneself from the bustle in the metro to finding out new hobbies and activities, it’s all about engaging with the world, and most importantly, feeling the kind of impact of change on people. It’s all about coming home after having helped other people, and also having helped oneself with a new perspective on life.

It’s not just the simple, having fun travel mode, but rather the kind that could change a person.