The Future of Travel Is Changing—and These 5 Trends Could Transform How You Plan, Book, and Experience Your Next Trip

In October, Travel + Leisure brought together some of the biggest names in travel and hospitality for 48 hours to exchange ideas on where the industry is headed next. And as it turns out, the future of travel looks much more human than you might expect.

T+L's first international World's Best Summit took over The Dorchester on Oct. 27 and 28, bringing together hoteliers, cruise and yacht executives, restaurateurs, editors, and even actor Alan Cumming (don't worry, we were all deemed faithfuls). Across every panel, a few big ideas kept coming up. Here are the five trends that stood out as the things you'll likely see across your travels in the months and years to come.

AI is here, just not how you think

AI came up in nearly every conversation, but it's not replacing the people who make travel special. Dr. Jon Roberts, chief innovation officer of T+L's parent company, People Inc., said AI is great at math but "bad at facts on the ground," and that it has "failed to do what one editor can do well." Federico de Cesare Viola, editor in chief of T+L Italy, put it even more simply: "For now, [it] doesn't have the taste." The takeaway for travelers is that AI can be handy for organizing information and streamlining logistics, but details should be double-checked because as Roberts warned, " AI is an amazing liar ."

Personal service is king, and it starts with happy staff

The days of scripted, one-size-fits-all service are over. Luca Virgilio, area general manager and global director of the Dorchester Collection , said overly rehearsed service can feel "not relevant to the moment," which is why the company hired an anthropologist who identified nine emotional needs its staff now trains to recognize. But the experts added that all great service starts behind the scenes. "I expect that I am treated by someone who loves their job," said Barbara Sturm, founder of Dr. Barbara Sturm Molecular Cosmetics , who drew parallels between hospitality and patient care. "I want the experience that someone really thought about it—that someone really thought about me."

Jeninne Lee-St John, editor in chief of T+L Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, and Macau, pointed out that doing right by a hotel's community and staff can be a major contributor to creating a positive environment behind-the-scenes. As an example, she cited Rosewood Hong Kong , which hires refugees and single mothers through its opportunity employment program.

Take the days you can and spend them intentionally

Throw out your travel checklist. While you're at it, squash the notion that you need to spend weeks in a destination to really feel like you've been on vacation. "There's a total misconception that you have to be somewhere for a long time for that trip to be meaningful," said entrepreneur and author Anna Kloots , who suggested picking one neighborhood and one museum instead of trying to see it all on your next getaway. She added that it's time to think about "how you're choosing to spend your time" and to seek out whatever is "gonna light your own heart up."

Time is the new luxury

Speaking of shorter trips, they're often the only kind most of us can fit in. In 2018, 80 percent of employed Americans said they "never had enough time," according to Gallup data cited in Nature Human Behaviour . Fortunately, the industry has noticed and wants to make every moment count. "Time is definitely our guests' most precious commodity," said Anna Nash, president of Explora Journeys . Ben Trodd, CEO of Four Seasons Yachts , said he measures success by whether guests feel the company honored the trust they placed in it by giving it "five days of their life." For you, the traveler, that means filling out any pre-travel requests you can to ensure everything is ready upon arrival. Nash added that Explora tries to lock in guests' decisions before the trip even starts, so travelers aren't stuck "using your vacation to plan."

The overlooked stop is the new must-see

Sheila Kyarisiima, founder of The Pinnacle Kigali , said too many trips to Africa become "a checkbox exercise," with travelers often only looking for the Big 5 and missing everything else about what makes the continent great. "If you skip Kigali completely, you skip the rebirth story," Kyarisiima said. "Capital cities are the heartbeat of a place."

It's a sentiment Cumming shared, too. In his chat with T+L editor in chief Jacqueline Gifford, he named Liverpool as the destination that surprised him most and added Detroit, since both cities are in the midst of reinvention. Detroit, he said, is "like a city that is a film set with not enough extras," thanks to its grand buildings. "I love places like that that are redefining themselves," he said.

And when asked where travelers should look to next as the "it" destinations, the T+L's editors from around the world pointed to lesser-visited spots like Puerto Rico, Nepal, and mainland China as places to watch. Or, as Gifford put it, destinations on "the cusp of change."

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