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5 travel trends for 2016

Posted at 12:30 PM, Dec 28, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-28 21:33:14-05

Today’s travelers are seeking in-depth experiences, whether they’re a party of one or a group of 12.

As a full-service travel agency, AAA Travel experts predict five travel trends for 2016:

  1. Going Solo: The travel market hasn’t always been friendly to solo travelers, but things are starting to change. For example, most river cruise lines have waived or reduced single supplements on at least some of their sailings, and some escorted vacations will waive the extra fee. For those that don’t, programs like AAA Arizona’s Today’s Traveling Women can help solo female travelers find roommates to avoid extra charges.
     
  2. Multigenerational Travel: On the other side are the families that want to either cruise or travel as one big group. Travel vendors are jumping to entice grandparents to create memories by bringing their kids and grandkids along, too. For example, AMA Waterways offers family cabins and partners with Adventure by Disney. Families and friends often can bundle their cabins or hotel rooms as a group and get extra amenities, from shipboard credits to complimentary meals.
     
  3. Cultural Immersion: More travelers want an authentic or educational experience. Instead of going to a winery and taking a tour, more people are interested in making wine themselves. More parents also are pulling their kids out of school to experience their own semester of school at sea. 
     
  4. On Board: While cruising remains a way to take advantage of big savings, some cruisers are more concerned about the ship rather than the ports they visit. Certain travelers opt to remain on board the entire cruise and take advantage of the ever-increasing number of amenities on the ship rather than step foot on land. For example, Oceania just announced free Wi-Fi on all of its cruises. 
     
  5. Park It: The National Park Service will turn 100 in 2016, making it a great year to discover the national parks and its programs. Enjoy recreational activities or learn about conservation and historic preservation programs. In honor of its birthday, the National Park Service recently announced that it will offer 16 fee free days in 2016.

For more travel tips and information, visit http://highroads.az.aaa.com.