2015 TRAVEL TRENDS YOU NEED TO KNOW NOW

While some of us haven’t even finished our holiday shopping yet, others are already looking into next month and beyond. For those who love to travel, you’ve already begun considering 2015’s destinations, if you haven’t already fully planned them. The travel bug is hard to ignore, but don’t book those reservations just yet. Every year brings a change in travel trends, and 2015 will be no different. While the fundamentals of getting from point A to B won’t be changing any time soon, the process and circumstances of traveling may see some interesting shifts next year. Here are just a few changes that may affect your upcoming plans.

Better booking online

By now, we’re all familiar with travel websites like Kayak that aggregate information from all over the web. All you have to do is enter your information, and they find relevant results for airfare or hotels. However, this template will soon be changing, as certain websites seek to include even more options. Increasingly, brands are scoring more traveler traffic online by including not just hotels in their search engine results, but home and apartment rentals as well. Based on the home-sharing trend started by sites like Vrbo, new sites will pull this kind of information for travelers who want even more options.

Plan your whole trip with your cell phone

Using your phone to check in to a hotel, as well as unlock your room’s door is nothing new per se. However, in 2015 your phone will elevate your hotel experience to the next level. Radisson is introducing a mobile app that will let you check in, order room service, and chat with concierges. (All of this of course comes in addition to the airfare and hotel reservation booking that you can already easily perform from your phone or tablet). The idea is to provide a relevant upgrade for the Millennial audience that loves technology, but doesn’t necessarily have the budget for more posh accommodations.

Stay in a posh-tel

Speaking of more posh accommodations, travelers can expect to see more posh-tels in 2015. Actually, these converted hostels are more accurately described as stylish upgrades than full-blown luxury experiences. They’re aimed at providing a more chic experience for the budget traveler. Rooms are typically more private than traditional hostels while boasting cool design touches. Presumably extra amenities will be included as well. For example, international travelers may find 110-220 high power electricity converters in order to charge phones, and plug in any other electrical devices from home.

More Wi-Fi access

Increasingly, more hotels around the world are making Wi-Fi available to their customers. Typically, hotels offer this service, but at a price, annoying travelers. However, as we head into next year, count on major chains finally offering basic Wi-Fi speeds for free. If you require more power, you can upgrade to a faster service for a small fee. This is welcome news for those of us who count on Wi-Fi when we travel.