Adventurous destinations and specialty cruises are among the latest travel trends for 2024. Overseas Adventure Travel (O.A.T.), the leader in personalized small group and solo travel for Americans ages 50 and older, announced the top three travel trends for the year ahead.
“Our mission has always been to change people’s lives through travel,” said Brian FitzGerald, Chief Executive Officer of O.A.T. “We’re seeing more and more travelers seeking unfamiliar destinations, places where they can make deeper cultural connections, witness relatively untouched landscapes, and experience the world in a more immersive and meaningful way.”
Top 3 Trends for 2024:
1. Adventurous destinations –Today’s travelers are more active and seeking out destinations where they have opportunities to take nature hikes, go rafting, visit markets, and participate in local life. Travelers are more willing to get out of their comfort zone to really get to know their destination and return with memories they can cherish. This trend reflects the upsurge in interest O.A.T. has seen in places like Botswana and India. Reservations with O.A.T. for Botswana are up 38% for 2024 compared to 2023, and India is up 169%.
On O.A.T.’s Ultimate Africa: Botswana, Zambia & Zimbabwe Safari, travelers journey to southern Africa where they will witness the power of Victoria Falls and enjoy game-viewing drives in Chobe National Park. They will also participate in activities like spending A Day in the Life of a Hwange village, where they will learn how locals live, tend to their animals, and raise their crops. O.A.T. travelers on Heart of India visit Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Lucknow, Varanasi, and can spend a night in a tented camp in rural Rajasthan to search for Bengal tigers in Ranthambore National Park. O.A.T. also gives travelers the opportunity to go beyond India’s iconic sites by including activities like sitting down to a dinner in the home of a family in Jaipur and visiting a local school in a remote Indian village.
2. Specialty cruises – Travelers want to experience a deeper side of the destinations they visit through their personal passions—food, art, music, history, or other special interests.
In 2024, Overseas Adventure Travel and Grand Circle Cruise Line are introducing 12 special small ship and river cruise itineraries based on traveler demand for unique itineraries that match their interests.
From sampling tapas in Spain to learning to making pizza in Italy, O.A.T.’s new culinary departures for 2024 have been curated to highlight the rich culinary culture of each destination. For example, travelers will participate in an immersive cooking lesson of a popular Croatian dish—štrukli—a pastry-like delicacy made from stretched pasta, and enjoy the timeless dance of Croatian cheese and wine pairings as they soak up the Mediterranean sun on a special Culinary Cruise departure of O.A.T.’s Enhanced! Hidden Gems of the Dalmatian Coast & Greece Small Ship Adventure. Travelers will sail aboard the 50-passenger M/V Arethusa for 10 nights as they enjoy the legendary cuisines along the Dalmatian Coast.
Other special themed departures include a wine-lovers tour of Europe and a deep dive into Bavarian culture. Travelers can also commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings aboard one of the special departures of Grand Circle Cruise Line’s The Seine: Paris to Normandy River Cruise. Exclusive activities include taking part in an in-depth discussion with a local historian, exploring Arromanches-les-Bains, visiting the new D-Day museum, and witnessing the well-preserved German artillery battery at Longues-sur-Mer.
3. Solo interest – Solo travel continues to be one of the fastest growing trends across the travel industry—and women are leading the charge. In 2019, about 40% of O.A.T. travelers were solo women. So far in 2024, that number has increased to 50%.
O.A.T. has always believed that solo travelers shouldn’t have to pay a big premium to explore the world. As the leader in solo travel, O.A.T. offers free single supplements on all Small Group Adventures by land, and free or low-cost single supplements on all Small Ship Adventures. Single supplements are always free on all optional trip extensions. To meet the surge in demand for 2024, O.A.T. is offering 24,000 single spaces across all O.A.T. adventures—and 92% of them have a free single supplement. The remaining 8% have the lowest single supplements in the travel industry. (PRNewswire)