Travel Trends

When the same destinations appearing again and again in your social media feed—coworkers headed to Tulum for a break from the cold? Friends posting selfies from the Blue Lagoon in Iceland?—you might have discovered a travel trend. Travel + Leisure’s writers and editors pay close attention not only to the latest in popular destinations, but also to industry-wide trends like the growth of peer-to-peer rental services (such as Airbnb), the resumption of commercial flights between Cuba and the United States, or the shockingly high rates of unused paid time off for millennial workers. Learn about up-and-coming trends for consumers and for the industry.

Travel Innovation

The travel industry has always been in a state of flux, whether dealing with the advent of planes or cars or even trains. Both the industry as well as the individual experience of travel radically changed again with the widespread adoption of smart phones. Travelers today can book an apartment on Airbnb, grab an Uber from the airport, set up a date with a local on Tindr or Grindr, find a perfect restaurant on Yelp, and make a reservation on Open Table—all from the comfort of his or her personal phone. T+L looks ahead to the changes even newer innovations might bring, from self-driving cars to the spread of virtual reality devices in consumer markets.

The world changes, which ensures it's always an exciting place to explore. As shifting political and environmental realities continue to shape where we travel (and how), Travel + Leisure analyzes their effect on travel in the short and long term. Sometimes that change is destructive—a hurricane, an outbreak of violence—but just as often it’s productive—the creation of a new park, the signing of a peace treaty. Check back with Travel + Leisure to see the latest updates around the globe.