It’s never too early to plan your next adventure, and 2014’s unique luxury travel trends are full of great ideas to spice up your itinerary. Take a look at what this year’s luxury globetrotters are pursuing.
Foodie Travel
One of the more popular and growing trends is to focus your trip around authentic foods and wines in often what were previously considered to be unglamorous regions of the world.
Luxury travelers are no longer content with a simple Michelin-starred meal, but are looking for culinary adventures that include farm visits and interactive involvement in the production, such as grape stomping.
Also popping up are gastronomic pilgrimages to regions snagging international attention due to the World Cup.
River Cruises
With 25 new vessels hitting the European waterways, river cruises are gaining popularity as a more exploratory alternative to a traditional ocean cruise.
Luxury travelers can meander down a river and enjoy land and countryside views, as well as the ability to hop on and off the ship often in order to explore towns and villages before catching up with the cruise again at the next port.
Tack-on Destinations
As business travel starts to heat up again, individuals, couples, and families are tacking on destinations at either end of business trips or fitting them into longer layovers.
These mini-vacations allow the traveler to maximize airline ticket costs while fitting in a bit of fun to spruce up a week or weekend of work.
Fancy RVs
The old retirement standby no more, recreational vehicles (RVs) have had a major makeover and luxury travelers can expect to see mobile camping get glamorous (hence the term ‘glamping’).
Amenities now include entertainment systems, WiFi, instant hot water, high thread count sheets, and luxurious bath products. It’s 5-star comfort in a mobile package for travelers who want to cover a little more terrain.
Forget Western Europe
Many travelers are starting to find the whole western European scene a little “been there, done that.” Eastern Europe — Lithuania, Croatia, Estonia, Albania, and the like — are where the globetrotters will be in the coming year.
With beautifully preserved medieval towns and castles and bustling cosmopolitan centers, the mix of street life and the seaside make Eastern Europe more like the Mediterranean.
It’s never too early to think about your next adventure. Where will you go in 2014?