8 Travel Trends for 2024

This time last year, believe it or not, much of Asia was still closed to travelers. Over the last six months, Asian destinations have been experiencing a rebound.

Explore’s Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Luke Judd reports a 98% increase in traffic to India trip webpages in 2023 v 2022. Meanwhile Cambodia (+76%), Vietnam (+82%) and Thailand (+60%) have also seen a huge spike in popularity.  New to the company’s portfolio for 2024 are Japan’s Sapporo Festival and China, back after a few years’ hiatus.   

Or choose Croatia’s pristine Brac island over trendy Hvar for an equally blissful beach experience away from the crowds. Take in Day of the Dead celebrations in Oaxaca by all means, but don’t miss the festivities in Guatemala which are incredibly vibrant but usually only frequented by locals.
 
New for 2024 is Tunisia – as the first small group operator back into Tunisia, Explore offers a different, quieter take on the country avoiding the mass tourism of the coast. Meanwhile a new family vacation to Albania showcases a stunning, quieter European alternative to Greece or Croatia.

E bike snobbery is so 2019! An electric bike can be a fantastic introduction to cycling vacations, and enable cyclists to take on more challenging terrains than they’d usually choose, from rolling vineyards to steeper mountain climbs. Use the support of the bike’s built-in motor to give you an extra boost, or choose to go under your own steam – with an ebike, you can do a bit of both. Ebike options are now available on almost every Explore cycling trip – the latest trip to have a new ebike option is Cycle Mexico.
 
Need more convincing? Explore has compiled a few more reasons to try an e-bike on your cycling vacation in this blogpost. 

We know that, due to financial and environmental concerns, many people are taking fewer overseas trips each year, but they are making them count – travelling for longer, and taking time to really get under the skin of their destination – as well as building in time to really switch off. Travelers are packing in a lot to their precious trips when they do happen - culture, experiences, action, and then – increasingly – building in some chill time. Explore has noted an increase of 81% in booking pre or post trip extensions this year. Popular extensions include a four-night Zanzibar island extension for some beach time after a busy Tanzanian safari with early morning game drives and evening wildlife walks, and a three-night Peruvian Amazon extension to discover the rainforest and incredible wildlife from a comfortable lodge – perfect after walking the Inca Trail.