Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024

Post originally Published January 2, 2024 || Last Updated January 2, 2024

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The COVID-19 pandemic completely disrupted the travel industry, grounding planes and forcing people to stay home. But one silver lining has been the massive shift to remote work, allowing location-independent professionals to work from anywhere with an internet connection. This remote work revolution is now enabling a whole new era of long-term travel.

Instead of the old model of negotiating a few weeks of vacation time, remote workers can now spend months or even years living as digital nomads. They can experience deep cultural immersion and adventure in exotic destinations, without sacrificing their careers.
Popular digital nomad havens like Bali, Mexico City and Lisbon are now teeming with remote workers living there long-term. These travelers rent apartments, take language classes, make local friends and build whole new lives abroad. They structure their workdays around exploring, with video calls taking place at sidewalk cafes or coworking spaces.

Remote work is also enabling slower and more meaningful kinds of travel. Some digital nomads are choosing to stay in multiple locations for 1-3 months at a time, versus constantly being in motion. This allows them to get to know destinations at a deeper level.
Services are popping up to meet demand, like long-term vacation rentals with fast WiFi and coworking spaces abroad. Travel insurance providers also now offer "digital nomad insurance" covering laptops and other gear.
While the lifestyle is not for everyone, many remote workers report benefits like less stress, more family time, financial savings and eye-opening cultural experiences. Digital nomads also praise the built-in community, as it's easy to meet like-minded travelers.

What else is in this post?

  1. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Remote Work Revolutionizing Long-Term Travel
  2. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Space Tourism Opening Up The Final Frontier
  3. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Augmented Reality Transforming Destination Experiences
  4. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - DNA-Based Vacations Tailored To Your Ancestry
  5. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Hyperloop Making High-Speed Rail A Reality
  6. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Cryptocurrency Facilitating Seamless Payments
  7. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Robot Hotels And Restaurants Automating Hospitality
  8. Off the Beaten Path: 10 Emerging Travel Trends to Watch in 2024 - Submersible Cruises Offering Underwater Adventures


For decades, space was exclusively the domain of highly-trained astronauts and elite pilots. But the dawn of commercial space tourism is finally opening up the final frontier to private citizens. 2024 is poised to be a watershed year, with multiple companies racing to launch the first civilian orbital flights.

Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin have dominated headlines, conducting successful suborbital test flights in 2021/2022. But the real milestone will be launching paying customers into full Earth orbit. Several firms are competing to be first, with targets set for 2024 and 2025.

Axiom Space has partnered with SpaceX to fly the first fully private crew to the International Space Station in late 2024. Training is already underway for this history-making mission. Former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría will command, joined by three businessmen who each paid $55 million for the 10-day experience.

Texas-based Orion Span plans to open its modular Aurora Space Station in 2024, providing a luxury hotel experience in orbit. The company touts 12-day trips with WiFi, fine dining and stunning views of Earth for $9.5 million per seat.

These industry pioneers aim to make space more accessible than ever before. According to Aurora COO Tom Shelley: “Our goal is to make space commonplace...As we increase access, the cost will continue to drop.”

But even with prices dropping, space tourism remains stratospherically expensive and limited to the mega-rich. Some philosophers question whether escaping Earth should be a priority during pressing times. But advocates argue space travel could transform perspectives on humanity's place in the universe.

According to Axiom VP Kam Ghaffarian: “When people go to space, they come back changed...You look down on the Earth and you realize we live on an oasis and we need to care for it collectively.”

Astronaut memories has echoed this sense of awe, including the Overview Effect - a cognitive shift when viewing Earth from above. As more civilian astronauts gaze down from orbit in coming years, many hope it inspires environmentalism and global cooperation.


Augmented reality (AR) has transformed many facets of modern life, from navigation to retail. Now, AR is poised to revolutionize travel by overlaying digital information onto the physical world. Imagine walking through a foreign city and having helpful translations or fun facts pop up before your eyes in real-time. AR makes this sci-fi vision an everyday reality for travelers.
Apps like Google Translate already enable basic AR translations by using your phone’s camera. But new travel tech startups are taking things several steps further. Companies like TourAR and GuideAR offer interactive AR city tours, where stories and images from the past are digitally projected onto the present-day landscape right in front of you.

During beta testing, users found these AR tours brought static locales to life. One tester gushed, “It was like time travel - seeing the Colosseum as it looked 2,000 years ago!” Beyond ancient sites, AR also shares little-known tales that make familiar places exciting again. Outside an unassuming bakery, you may learn it once harbored refugees from persecution. Simple streets transform into scaffolds of meaning.
Museums are another realm ripe for AR innovation, with companies like Arilyn, Curioos and Subdream Studios leading the charge. Visitors can take self-guided AR tours, getting up-close looks at artifacts and seeing how they were created or used historically. Interactive digital displays bring boring plaques to life. It’s a world of difference from static wall texts.

AR also provides opportunities for gamification and scavenger hunts. Apps like ActionBound overlay location-based games onto destinations. Players complete challenges, solve puzzles and unlock AR items scattered across the city. It injects whimsy and friendly competition into group travel.


DNA ancestry testing has exploded in popularity in recent years, with over 30 million people having tried services like 23andMe and Ancestry.com. Now the travel industry is leveraging this trend, offering DNA-based vacations tailored to travelers’ genetic heritage. Instead of generic backpacking through Europe, you can trace your Irish roots or connect with your Eastern European ancestors on trips designed just for you.
According to Ancestry’s lead DNA scientist, these kinds of personalized genealogy vacations represent an emotional homecoming. Clara Sullivan shares that her own DNA journey, “gave me a deepened sense of self...I walked the same paths as my ancestors in rural Ireland.”

Other travelers report profound experiences visiting the precise towns their great-grandparents left behind. They tour sites important to family lore, like the hill where a distant relative famously fell off his horse, preserved in oral tradition. Locals embrace DNA tourists as long-lost cousins, sharing heirlooms and family recipes with genetic strangers who inexplicably feel like kin.
Of course, you don’t have to chase pre-determined paths to enjoy genealogy travel. Simply visiting any destination linked to your DNA can heighten feelings of ancestral connection. Scandinavian-descended travelers speak of uncanny déjà vu sensations while exploring Nordic countries. They feel hauntingly at home despite their first visit.
Beyond European roots, services like Ancestry Journeys plan DNA trips to Africa, Asia and the Americas. Follow slave-trade routes in reverse from the US South back to West African genetic origins. Seek shrines of ancestors in rural Japanese villages that your family left generations ago. View Mayan ruins and Argentine vistas through the eyes of your genetic forebears.

Genealogy travel options abound, but customized services like Ancestry Journeys handle all the logistics. Their experts analyze your DNA results, build detailed ancestral itineraries, hire local guides and make arrangements like homestays with relatives you never knew you had. Prices start around $2,500-$5,000 for 7-14 day trips.
Critics argue DNA testing in isolation provides an incomplete picture, lacking rich family histories. They also highlight imperfect ancestry reports that wrongly identify certain ethnic roots. But fans counter the real power is not pinpoint accuracy, but rather the sense of connection and belonging DNA travel can inspire.


For over a century, high-speed rail has tantalized travelers with the promise of lightning-fast journeys connecting cities and even continents. But the dream has always fallen short due to the high costs and engineering challenges of traditional rail. Now, Hyperloop technology aims to leapfrog high-speed rail into an entirely new realm of possibility.

Hyperloop works by propelling passenger pods through a vacuum tube at speeds up to 700 mph. This eliminates air resistance and friction, enabling mind-bending velocity. For perspective, reaching 700 mph would slash a 6 hour drive between Los Angeles and San Francisco down to just 30 minutes! Travelers could commute cross-country with ease.
While still a work in progress, real-world testing by companies like Virgin Hyperloop shows the astounding potential. Their prototype pod hit speeds over 100 mph even in open air. Once placed in a vacuum, faster than sound is possible. As Richard Branson enthused, “Hyperloop is on the verge of changing transport forever.”

So how does it work exactly? Powerful electromagnets levitate and propel the pods through the tube, similar to a maglev train. Sealed passenger pods ride an air cushion driven by air compressors and fans. Smaller tubes allow managing air pressure with far less energy than a tunnel.

Hyperloop reduces friction so profoundly compared to conventional rail that enormous speed is possible. Travelers experience G-forces similar to an airplane, reclining in airplane-style seats. Windows provide sweeping views of the blurred landscape whooshing past at blinding velocity.

Many obstacles must still be overcome before widespread adoption, from safety concerns to securing funding and government approvals. But proponents are bullish on hyperloop’s eco-friendly credentials and capacity to transform travel. aAs Virgin's Josh Giegel says:

"We have planes, trains and automobiles to thank for connecting people across great distances, but they are also a huge contributing factor to climate change. The carbon footprint of daily commuting is having an undeniable impact on our environment. A new form of transportation is not only possible, but absolutely necessary."

Routes now proposed include Amsterdam to Frankfurt, Mumbai to Pune, and Chicago to Pittsburgh. Travel times between major hubs could shrink from hours to minutes. Supporters argue it would incentivize climate-friendly travel while connecting regions economically.


Cryptocurrency has exploded in popularity in recent years, evolving from a fringe curiosity to a mainstream financial force. Now the travel industry is embracing cryptocurrency payments, with businesses from airlines to hotels leaping to get a piece of the action. For digital-savvy travelers, crypto is poised to make payments quicker, easier and more secure than ever.
One major appeal lies in avoiding conversion fees and credit card transaction costs. Paying directly in cryptocurrency allows travel providers to maximize profits while passing savings to customers. Adoption is rapidly accelerating, with giants like American Airlines, AirBaltic and CheapAir now accepting Bitcoin for flight bookings. Expedia and Travala already process crypto hotel payments using blockchain technology.

Travala's CEO Juan Otero touts blockchain's ability to, "open up travel to the entire world," especially developing regions lacking bank infrastructure. Crypto facilitates access for the estimated 1.7 billion unbanked consumers worldwide. Otera reveals that nearly two-thirds of Travala’s crypto bookings originate from Nigeria and Ghana. Domestic tourism within crypto-savvy countries like China and Japan is booming thanks to easier payments.
Of course, volatility remains an issue with crypto’s wild price swings. But tools are emerging to mitigate risk, like blockchain company BitPay which safeguards merchants from exchange fluctuations. BitPay already partners with major brands like Microsoft and AT&T. Their CEO Stephen Pair shares, “We eliminate the risk of non-payment and the complexities of accepting crypto.”

Pair also highlights how blockchain verification provides protection against fraud that credit cards lack. Payments are immutable, validated and secure. Crypto travel enthusiasts praise perks like instantly confirmed flights that avoid Kafka-esque verification calls from fraud-spooked banks.

Some futurists envision a world where our identities, passports and finances are unified on the blockchain. Cryptocurrency facilitates seamless, frictionless and secure payments across borders. Piecemeal currency exchange gives way to global financial harmony. While that utopian vision remains elusive, blockchain technology is undoubtedly disrupting old models.


For ages, hospitality has meant human connection. Warm greetings at the front desk. Attentive servers orbiting the dining room. But an automated revolution is challenging old notions of travel intimacy. Robot-staffed hotels and restaurants are on the rise, using AI and machines to deliver five-star service sans humans.

Proponents argue robots enhance efficiency, lower costs and even boost safety. Touting “contactless hospitality,” the aptly named Yotelchain aims to open dozens of robot hotels globally by 2025. Guests book online and access rooms with a mobile app. Luggage robots deliver belongings, while service comes via video chatbots.

Some hail this as the future of travel. Justin Zheng of hotel tech firm Alibaba enthuses, “Robots will be your favorite co-worker and friend.” Zheng believes AI can provide personalized service by remembering guest preferences. Plus conveniences like round-the-clock service that humans can’t match.

Indeed, China’s $400 million Qianxi Robot Hotel touts 24/7 robot concierges and butlers. Dollero, the charming droid who greets guests, aims to make Qianxi the world’s first fully automated hotel. Per Dollero: “I hope to accompany you through an unusual hotel experience.”

Robots also infiltrate dining. Eatsa’s futuristic restaurants employ quirky cubbyholes for solo diners to grab meals without any pesky human interaction. Spyce and Miso Robotics rely on robotic chefs and automated kitchens to crank out quick eats.

Novel? Definitely. But is something human lost? Hotelier Chip Conley critiques the industry’s “fetishization” of technology, arguing guest satisfaction stems from real people. Psychological studies back this, suggesting face time raises oxytocin and dopamine levels.

Travel blogger Leslie Robichaux agrees. After staying at Japan’s Henn-na Hotel staffed by droids, she reported feeling “lonely in a crowded place.” While praising the novelty, Robichaux concluded: “Humans can’t be replaced when it comes to hospitality.” The vaunted 24-hour robot reception felt gimmicky when she just wanted to chat after a long day exploring.

Likewise,andytraveler on TripAdvisor slammed Qianxi’s “cold and creepy” atmosphere: “Robots checked me in and out without making real eye contact or small talk...I missed those little moments of warmth.”


For decades, exploring the mysteries of the deep required advanced SCUBA certification or once-in-a-lifetime submersible missions with scientists. But an exciting new travel sector is emerging - personal submersible cruises that provide direct access to underwater wonderlands for everyday adventurers.

Several companies now offer the chance to pilot your own mini-submarine, like an underwater drone, on supervised dives along stunning coral walls or shipwrecks. It's the closest most people will ever come to feeling like Jacques Cousteau. Atlantis Submarines pioneered the concept with their 19-seat vessels offering views 130 feet down offwaits like Oahu, Aruba and Barbados. But new players like OceanGate are upping the ante with 5-person crafts descending up to 1,000 feet. Their dives off Bonaire reveal luminous deepwater creatures and eerie WWII ship ruins few humans have ever witnessed up close.
For the ultimate bragging rights, companies like Triton Submarines offer true personal submersibles as part of luxury ocean expeditions aboard superyachts. Their sleek 24-karat gold and acrylic vessels carry two passengers over 16,000 feet down for literally unparalleled views. According to Triton president Patrick Lahey, personal subs open awe-inspiring new travel frontiers: "It's like exploring an alien planet down there."

And indeed, 44% of Earth's surface remains utterly unmapped, unobserved by humans. Amateur submariners describe feeling humbled by both the beauty and extremity of these fingertip glimpses into the deep. Lisa Yang recounted her dive off Curacao: "As we gently landed 504 feet down, bioluminescent sea creatures lit up like a galaxy of stars. It was magical, and deeply reminded me how little we understand our vast oceans."

If half-day adventures seem too brief, companies like Oceanwide Expeditions now offer week-long cruises focused entirely around daily personal sub dives. Guests alternate exploring the overworld by Zodiac and spending hours studying marine life or geological formations up close during multiple descents. Deep sea biologist Dr. Jonas Pogson, a guest lecturer aboard Oceanwide's new superyacht Janssonius, effuses: "This kind of direct access completely immerses citizen scientists and curious travelers in regions we are still actively exploring."

Recent dives have revealed rare six-gilled sharks off the Bahamas and traced the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between Greenland and Norway where tectonic plates slowly drift apart. While intellectual curiosity and bragging rights motivate some passengers, Pogson suggests the intimate perspective also inspires environmental advocacy: "Submersibles allow people to see first-hand how diverse yet fragile ocean ecosystems are, and how pollution has infiltrated even the deepest realms."
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