With travel advisors hailing from all over the world – SmartFlyer has concentrations of agents in the U.S., Europe, and Australia – we’re continuously sharing intel amongst our community of Smarties across both countries and continents to ensure that our clients are armed with the most up-to-date intel. As we see questions coming across our desks spanning from “ When is best to book my next vacation? Where should I go when Amalfi Coast is full? we’re here to recap 5 of the major trends that we anticipate will impact your 2024 travel plans.
1) BOOKING SUMMER IN EUROPE EARLY PAYS
Ideally, we advise booking your summer travels before the close of the previous calendar year.We’ve long been proponents of working with your trusted SmartFlyer travel advisor to book your vacation well in advance of your departure date. For Europe specifically, we’ll focus on how high season dictates availability and in turn, drives how early you should be booking. Peak demand for Italy, France, and Greece is concentrated from May to September; while May and September used to be considered “shoulder season,” this is no longer the case with peak travel windows widening post-pandemic. Ideally, we advise booking your summer travels before the close of the previous calendar year. If you elect to wait too long, space at top hotels across some of the most sought-after spots like St. Tropez, the Amalfi Coast, and the Santorini will be hard to come by.
According to the New York Times demand has been so high that many travel advisers have had to turn away clients looking to book vacations in popular European destinations in July and August because of a lack of availability.” This compression during peak times of the year is also in part due to Europe’s inventory not meeting the rising demand for luxury products. While there has been a slew of exciting openings across top markets, real estate experts cite soaring construction costs and increased interest rates as impacting development financing. According to a recent article in the Financial Times, “Europe’s hotel room supply rose just 2.7 percent in the 12 months to March 2023, against 3.6 percent in the same period four years earlier.” What does this all mean for you? The early bird gets the worm. By working with your SmartFlyer travel advisor to begin plotting out your next European adventure six to nine months in advance, you’ll secure prime access to the full inventory of rooms before increased occupancy has impacted premiere room types to be snatched up.
2) THE BIGGER THE BUCKET LIST TRIP, THE LONGER THE RUNWAY
The festive season has long been touted as some of the most hard-to-secure space in destinations like the Caribbean and Mexico; To ensure you secure the best type of accommodation or your trip – whether that be guaranteeing connecting rooms at a hotel or securing the top-booked villas – we recommend booking as early as January for the following winter, and no later than the end of summer. Private jet expeditions typically release rates 18 months in advance, and itineraries almost always sell out; If you’re looking to book, be sure your travel advisor knows this and can put you on a high-priority list with our top partners, like TCS World Travel. Cruises visiting hard-to-reach destinations like Antarctica are often done on expedition ships with limited numbers of cabins; as soon as you know you want to go, get in touch with your agent who can begin sourcing space. Safari rates are typically released in May for the following full calendar year; the sooner you can book, the better!
3) AIR HAS NEVER BEEN MORE COMPLEX
It seems like not a week goes by without headlines splashing across your preferred news app that airline cancellations are leaving travelers stranded in airports. But it’s not just that you’re seeing delays and cancellations reported on more, they’re happening with greater frequency. According to a recent article in Forbes, “FlightAware data shows an average of 30,000 delayed flights per day globally — including 7,000 to 9,000 delayed flights per day in the U.S.” It continues, quoting a former commercial airline pilot who shares, “The total number of global flights have gone up significantly due to pandemic recovery. But delays have gone up even more, percentage-wise, than the volume of flights.”So while air has never been more complex, we’re here to help simplify.
And while the act of getting you to your destination smoothly is integral to what we do, for over thirty years, we’ve also been our clients’ trusted resource when travel doesn’t go according to plan. Booking flights with the SmartFlyer Air Team ensures that you have a primary point of contact as your direct advocate to the airline. So, if you’re at the gate and the flight you’re supposed to board is canceled, you’re not queuing at the Help Desk with dozens of other disgruntled passengers; you’re on a direct line with an air expert, available to you 24/7. As a company that was founded to help make your experience as seamless as possible from wheels up to wheels down, our team also takes into account the type of aircraft you’ll be flying, routing logistics, carrier agreements, codeshares, and so much more. So while air has never been more complex, we’re here to help simplify.
4) SET-JETTING: TRIPS BASED ON POP CULTURE MOMENTS
Perhaps the most playful trend to immerge in recent years, SmartFlyer travel advisors report a collective surge in requests spurred by film and television show locales. Few correlations are as direct The White Lotus effect on Sicily inquiries. We reported on HBO filming at San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel with an interview with the hotel’s General Manager last spring prior to the season being released, sure it would inspire travelers to further south in Italy. But perhaps no one could have predicted just how much; According to a recent survey shared by Robb Report, “Vacations from the UK to Sicily specifically were up 61 percent when compared to last year, while the US saw a 90 percent spark in inquiries.”“Seventy percent of Gen Z and millennial respondents agree that they have been inspired to travel to a destination after seeing it featured in a TV show, news source, or movie.”
And while remarkable, this is by no means the first time we’ve seen television drive booking patterns with a desire for TV-themed itineraries for travelers to be their own main character. Hotels across London leaned into the trend with Bridgerton-themed afternoon teas that Lady Whisteldown would approve of. And in nearby Scotland, we’ve had travelers request visits to Midhope Castle, the landmark which stands in as Lallybroch for Outlander’s cast. Stateside, the appeal of Dutton Ranch’s wide open spaces as depicted in Yellowstone is reflected in an uptick of dude ranch inquires – Montana and beyond. Data from a recent survey supports these shifts particularly with younger travelers, “Seventy percent of Gen Z and millennial respondents agree that they have been inspired to travel to a destination after seeing it featured in a TV show, news source, or movie.” Similarly, we predict that the wedding of Sofia Richie and Elliot Grainge will only continue to fuel interest in the ever-elegant Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc.
5) BOOKINGS INSPIRED BY INTERNATIONAL TOURS
But for those who aren’t on the Swiftie train, there are ample other tours worth traveling for. We’ve been working with clients to build entire trips around some of the following tours on deck this year and next: Beyonce, Lizzo, Coldplay, Bruce Springsteen, Andrea Bocelli, Foo Fighters, Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, Dead & Co, and U2. As always, when booking with a SmartFlyer travel advisor, we can simply handle your hotel stay, or assist in booking your airfare, car rental (for luxury rentals stateside, we’ve been loving Go Rentals), touring, and even travel insurance; but more on that later!
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