This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.
07.01.2024 - 06:31 / forbes.com
The new year brings travel predictions that cover everything from where we’ll be vacationing in 2024 to how we’ll be getting there, plus the new hotels that are worth getting excited about. But what about the travel trends that are falling out of fashion?
Ahead, four travel trends that are becoming less popular in 2024.
Skiplagging, also known as “hidden city flights,” became a buzzy cost-saving strategy among air travelers in recent years. Instead of booking a non-stop flight to a destination, the trick is to save some money by booking your destination city as a layover, and then hopping off after the first leg of your flight. For instance: Instead of booking a non-stop flight from New York City to Orlando, you book your flight from New York City to Dallas with a stop in Orlando, where you get off the plane.
Skiplagging can save travelers a couple of hundred bucks on flights, but the key is to book one-way tickets. You also can’t check (or even gate check) your bags because they’ll go to your final ticketed destination. The “travel hack” gained momentum on TikTok and the site Skiplagged.com has become a popular spot to help you find these types of flight deals.
So, why is it “out” in the new year? Airlines are starting to crack down even harder on skiplaggers, with threats that include banning you from flying on their planes, revoking your airline status, or charging you for the more expensive ticket.
The pandemic accelerated the cashless society trend. According to findings from Pew Research Center, 41% of Americans in 2022 said none of their purchases in a typical week are paid for with cash, which is up from 29% in 2018 and 24% in 2015.
But what does that mean for industries that rely on cash tips, like hotel housekeepers?
Hotels have been increasingly experimenting with mobile tipping options, with QR codes placed in rooms that allow you to leave gratuity for housekeeping staff. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts was a pioneer in this realm when it introduced Béné cashless tipping to its U.S. and Canadian franchisees in 2022. In November 2023, Grazzy, a digital tipping platform, announced it was the preferred provider for Hyatt Hotels.
"Grazzy is helping service workers recapture tips that cashless innovations have for years made fewer and farther between,” Grazzy Founder and CEO Russell Lemmer says.
By doing so, hotels are better positioned to retain talented employees, Lemmer says.
You may have heard about “slow travel” or more purpose-driven trips. The idea is to slow down so you don’t return home feeling like you need a vacation from your vacation.
Amanda Al-Masri, vice president of wellness for Hilton, is calling 2024 the “year of the great recharge.”
"In 2024, travelers are gravitating away from
This series of articles about credit cards, points and miles, and budgeting for travel is brought to you in partnership with The Points Guy.
There's no shortage of great perks you can get with a travel credit card — especially with several solid options currently on the market.
Daybreak hesitates on the horizon as we make our bone-rattling journey across the prairies. Up ahead is a scene so majestic, even the shock of the 4am wake-up call suddenly loses its sting. Illuminated by the first mellow rays of buttery sunlight, a herd of over 1,000 mighty buffalo roams into view, a little overdressed for South Dakota’s balmy summer climate in thick woolly overcoats and Viking horns.
An upcoming Russian tourist trip to North Korea is the first such inbound visit by vacationers there in four years. When people think of that country under the strict dictatorship of Kim Jong Un, they don’t think of tourism. So many will have questions about what kind of travel is possible.
The midwest and northeast of the US have been hit by Arctic storms bringing subfreezing temperatures.
The passport you hold is a powerful tool when it comes to effortlessly visiting countries around the world.And some passports provide far more access than others, according to the Henley Passport Index.The just-released 2024 index shows that for the first time in 19 years of producing the ranking, six countries are tied for the top spot of having the most powerful passports.The countries leading the ranking are France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Singapore, and Spain—meaning citizens from all of these countries are able to visit 194 destinations around the world either visa-free or by obtaining a visa-on-arrival.The Henley Passport Index is the only ranking of its kind and is developed based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Authority (IATA). The index compares 199 different passports and 227 different travel destinations.While Japan and Singapore have made it into the number one slot for the past five years running, according to CNN, the European countries that are now also ranked number one on the list is a new development.
Around the world in 80 days? Try 180 days instead.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — if you live in the Washington, D.C. area that is. That’s because from Janury 15–21, 2024, it’s Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week, a bi-annual event held throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia each winter and summer. Whether you’re lucky enough to live in the DMV or are just passing through, it’s a great way to try out new restaurants and revisit old favorites for a fraction of the cost.
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The world's most powerful passports for 2024 have been revealed — with the biggest shake-up in rankings we've seen in several years, including a never-before-seen six nations in first place.
A new pre-security sensory room at a New Jersey airport is aiming to make it easier for neurodiverse travelers, providing them with a space to wait for their flight as well as an easier way to get through security screening.