32. Travel Trends & Changes for 2024

Hello, my friends. Happy December. Welcome to yet another episode of Let Me Adjust My Ears. And today, we are going to take on all the changes to travel coming in 2024. So travel trends for 2024, what you, as travelers, can expect at all of our favorite destinations, but also to travel in general. 

So I wanna start with I found this hilarious article that was written in 2014. And it reminded me, if you remember Horizons, It was at Epcot. It was an original Epcot attraction. It was my favorite one aside from veggie, veggie, fruit, fruit. If you know, you know. And I can still smell those oranges, the orange groves from Horizon over at Soarin' over California. It was just the best. 

Also, I think you can buy a candle of the orange groves of the orange smell on Magic Candle Company, which really they're the orange groves from Horizon, not from Sorin. It was on the other side of the park and all, but still, you know. So I wanted to take a look at this article and see how they did. 

So again, this was an, local newspaper back in 2014, October. Three ways that travel will be completely different in 2024. And they said, everyone's gonna have a personal digital assistant and wearable tech, such as watches or jewelry. And these digital buddies will be kind of an electric travel agent, making personalized itineraries, acting as a tour guide, and translating languages in real time. So they definitely Kinda nailed that one. We all have smartphones and watches, and they help us with translations for sure, with navigational tools. Like, If we're walking in a foreign country, they're exceedingly helpful. I wouldn't call them an electronic travel agent, but definitely a travel assistant. 

They predicted the airports are gonna become destinations that travelers will actually want to spend time in. So I'm gonna give them a half a point for this. Definitely new terminals like Terminal C in Orlando or airports that have incredibly beautiful lounges for elite travelers. Maybe those are you're okay to spend time in, but I wouldn't say any one of us is ever gonna wanna go to the airport just to hang out. Like, that's just not a thing. Airports are crowded and stressful, especially post pandemic. The crowds and the stress, it's just yuck. Not my thing. I have never been to Singapore's airport, which in 2014 Team was named the world's best airport. So I'll let you know after I go to Singapore if, in fact, they get a full point for that. But definitely, we have seen upgrades to airports. They're experimenting with outdoor terraces, open air parks. They have doggy release places now because everyone brings their dog with or their emotional pets. They also predicted more self-service kiosks. That's definitely a thing. You handle your own bag check, and all you do is drop it off. 

Now the third one, they predicted that space travel and journeys to the bottom of the sea will be common. So I'm not giving them a point for that, even though there are now companies who do that. They do space travel and they do Undersea Travel. We have learned with the implosion of one of the vehicles in 2023 that it is really for the 1% of travelers who can afford that. It's not commonplace, and isn't This picture that they have, I'll have to post on Instagram. It looks like a luxury hotel under the seat. So we don't have anything like that where you can descend and then check-in to a hotel. I think the closest that we would have had to something of that experience probably would have been the Galactic Starcruiser over at Walt Disney World, but, of course, that wasn't successful. So I think we're still a ways away from that. But that is what 2014 thought travel was gonna be like in 2024.

So now let's take a look at some realistic changes that are gonna affect all of us in terms of our travel in 2024. So The one that is really getting all the headlines is changes to frequent flyer programs. So Delta started this. Time is like this weird construct to me. I don't know when time starts and ends anymore. So I wanna say it was like 3 months ago, but it could have been at the beginning of the year, and I wouldn't realize. Delta started changes to its frequent flyer programs, making it harder to achieve elite status and kinda chopping a bunch of people who are elite, who won't be able to requalify. The reason is very simple. It's become harder to get upgrades and for them to fulfill the elite privileges. So they were gonna change it. They got a ton of pushback. So in response to all that pushback, other airlines, primarily, Southwest and United decided, hey, come fly with us. We're gonna make it easier for you to achieve elite status. And then Frontier Airlines also decided to make changes, so all the airlines are making changes to their frequent flyer program starting in 2024.

So it may be time for you to investigate what airline has a hub in your area, what you think you're going to fly the most of, what airline is most comfortable for you, or that you're willing to sacrifice. For example, Frontier has an amazing Black Friday deal on their all you can fly past that I literally almost thought about because they do have non stops from Austin to Orlando. Then I looked into it and I was like, oh, you can only book it, like, the day before. So I was like, No. Plus it would mean I'd have to fly Frontier and that's really not a thing I ever want to do ever. But for those of us that travel a lot, it is time to evaluate our credit cards, check out the points guy. 

Again, look at what airlines have the most flights in and out of your city to places that you know you're gonna travel, routes that were canceled or pulled back on on COVID may be coming back. And let's see how you can get to loyalty programs or have accrue enough points or miles or whatever they wanna call it right now, so that you can at least cash in on some of those benefits when you're traveling. 

Another great, great change coming really starting now, but for 2024 is the increased passport processing times have now been reduced. The state department has said that they have caught up with the lag time and expedited is now really 3 weeks. If you're doing the paper process and you're mailing everything in, which would be for first  time passport people. You still, without expedited, wanna allow a good 10 weeks. So make sure you're on that before you travel. Yet another reason to find a very trusted travel advisor who can advise you of these things. Also, don't forget to check those passport expiration dates. You always wanna have at least 6 months of time on your passport before you leave for an international trip. 

And more good news. The visitor tax for the EU that Americans were going to have to start paying in 2024, are now not going to go into effect until 2025. And what that is is it is a visitor tax, which is a “visa” that Americans used to not have to get to go into the EU. Now, you will have to get it again, not until 2025. The price was only going to be $7.70 give or take based on the exchange rate. What it will require, just so you can prepare yourself and get ready, is just some online work in advance of your trip. It's really not a huge expense. It's more about the time invested, and yet, another reason to find a very trusted travel adviser. So that when you are planning any European trips for 2025, we can help you with that. 

That brings me to the Mexico charge, which has been in place. And unfortunately, for Mexico's sake, they don't really collect their tourism tax. They haven't delegated it to the airlines, which I predict they will in the future. It will be something you will just pay for when you pay for your airline ticket. But you can pay the Mexico tax before you go, when you're there or when you're leaving. And they don't often check. So many of us either forget or say, oh, I'm gonna pay it on the way out. Maybe we don't pay it. Of course, as a trusted travel advisor, I would never advise that. And I always give the information in all of those Mexico itineraries. But you can be sure that starting in 2025, when the EU really starts to crack down on the visitor tax, that Mexico will also have a plan in place to make sure that they're tapping into that visitor tax. 

I shouldn't say it's all of Mexico. It's really the state of Riviera Maya, so Cancun, Riviera Maya, Tulum, those places. Again, they don't have a good system in place, but I predict, This is my prediction that we can come back to in 2025 and see if I was right. That when the EU really does start collecting that tax that Mexico and all of Mexico will have figured that out because they will want to be collecting that. And that's due to over tourism and countries needing additional funds to help upgrade those airport lounges that we talked about. I'm kidding. It's not airport lounges, but we can hope. 

Okay. Let's talk about changes to some of our favorite destinations. More good news coming in January for those So that's the go to Disney World. Talking about the Orlando, Walt Disney World theme parks. No longer Will you need as of January 9th? I should say this is not effective January 1. As of January 9th, any tickets that you purchase that are date specific, which is, like, 90% of tickets, you will not need to make a park reservation for. So let's say, you have a 4 day package and it starts on January 10th, and you wanna go to the parks for 4 days, you do not need a park reservation. You can go to any park and any order that you want for 4 days. 

You also, if you have a park hopper, more good news. You can park hop at any time. Finally, we can go to the Magic Kingdom and the castle for breakfast, and then park hop over to Epcot for some food and wine, for lunch, I should say Festival of the Arts, because that's what will be happening in January of 2024. And then hop over to anywhere else for dinner. I mean, I'm so excited that park hopping is now back to normal. It's just awesome. 

More good news in 2024. We have the return of the Disney dining plan. So hopefully, you are asking me when you called to make your Disney Hotel ticket package for Walt Disney World in 2024, you're also looking at that dining plan. I worked at Walt Disney World in the resort division when the dining plan first started, and I have to tell you I was very anti it. For one thing, it made check ins really complicated, and it was a nightmare to those of us who worked there. But my whole thing back then was They're not introducing something that they are not making money on. So I guarantee they are making money on it, which I may have been wrong about because when they had the chance to take it away. They took it away. But then I went back as a guest and I love the dining plan.

I love knowing that I have paid for my meals in advance. I love knowing that I have a popcorn and a soda that I can get without feeling like I'm paying $15 for a popcorn bucket that I'm then gonna forget to take with me to the park the next day to get my $2 refill. I just I love the dining plan. It gives me peace of mind. It helps me budget appropriately. And I really do get to go everywhere I want, because I don't eat breakfast, for example. So the people traveling with me can have breakfast on my dime, so to speak, and then I get those extra dining credits so that we can go to some signature dining. I love it.

And clearly, I was wrong about the fact that Disney was making money on it. But they have revamped it. And so now I'm sure that they are going to be making money on it. But if you have a great travel adviser who knows all the hacks and knows how to help you get the most out of that dining plan, I still think it's an awesome addition to any Walt Disney World vacation. So we talked about changes to Walt Disney World. 

Let's head over to Disneyland, and take a Quick look at some of the things that are changing in Disneyland. So starting January 20th, More good news. I'm telling you, 2024 is gonna be a great year for travel, everybody. The early entry benefit has been updated. And so guests who are staying at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels with a valid park admission and reservations, may take advantage of a 30 minute early entry into a designated theme park for their stay. So, yay, Disneyland. Thank you for that. Also, some new attractions coming in late 2024, and that's on both coasts, but we will talk about that as we get more news. 

Now back to Florida over to Universal Orlando Resort, Universal Resorts and Experiences, we have Mardi Gras coming. Mardi Gras is a world of celebrations wrapped up into 1 Mardi Gras party. They have beads, they have great food. It's an awesome party. It's inspired by Carnival celebrations around the world, so it's not just New Orleans. Again, you can get chosen and selected to ride on one of the crew parades. It's really fun, and the dates for that are February 3rd to April 7th, and that is included with your theme park ticket or your annual pass for Universal Studios Florida. And I have been before, so we can do a whole episode on Mardi Gras. 

And also we can do more on the festival of the arts. The Epcot International Festival of the Arts states are January 12th to February 19th. We talked a little bit last week about the Disney on Broadway concert series. And I announced all the stars that are coming, and talked a little bit about those Disney on Broadway dining packages that you can get. If you missed that episode, it's sort of the holidays and some time to catch up. So you can check last week's episode out. But more about the Epcot International Festival of the Art is the ideas that you're gonna celebrate the creation of art and cuisine. 

So there's what they call food studios, which are, as we are used to knowing, the outdoor kitchens. There are going to be 16 unique food kiosks this year featuring art inspired cuisine. So definitely Instagramable. That's what they're going for. There is the wonderful walk of colorful cuisine, which in the past, during food and wine, we talked about how Remy let you try different cheese dishes, and you get the appropriate stamp, and then you get a free cheese dish. So this time, it's called A Journey to Savor for the International Festival of the Holidays. You set out on a tasty truck around Epcot. It's 7 vibrant treats. You can't see me, but I'm putting vibrant in air quotes. And then at the end, you get 1 Technicolor treat to enjoy. 

One thing to remember for those of you who do have annual passes or go frequently, you do not need to collect these all in one day. Even if you have a multi day pass. Sometimes it's a lot of eating to try and get them all in one day. So I recommend either sharing with your entire group and everybody share the same festival passport to get your stamp on, or do it over multiple days, or look at that one Technicolor treat that you “win”. And make sure it's something you really want. This year, you have to get 5 of the 7 corresponding stamps. And then you bring your festival passport to the Deco Delights food studio, and you will get a complimentary artist palette Cookie. 

One of the fun things about the International Festival of the Arts is artistry in action. So they have a lot of gymnasts and the human statues, even some 2050 kind of robot statues and things to take pictures of, artists paints on the sidewalk, which your kids can help paint sidewalk paintings. True artists are there to and you can watch them paint. There's music throughout World Showcase Plaza. They call it an expression station, where again, it's a paint by numbers mural that you can take part in. They have the best magic past photo ops. You can step into an artistic famous painting back drop and strike a pose. And then, of course, Figment's brush with the masters. 

My personal favorite thing, of course, is you help Figment learn about art on this scavenger hunt, and you get your map and your stickers available. It's Still under $10, folks, 9.99, but it is only available why supplies last. And as I learned the hard way, the closer to the end of the festival you get may may sell out. So I didn't get to do Remy's Ratatouille Pippin' Squeak… Seek and Squeak… [Hide and Squeak] this past Food and Wine Festival. I was very disappointed. I did Pluto's pumpkin thing twice, but I was still very disappointed because I'm still going for the perfect four for 4 scavenger hunts, Epcot Festivals in 1 year. And I started that back in 2020. And it's about to be 2024 and I still haven't made it. So 2024 has got to be my year. I got to do it all for Epcot festivals and all four scavenger hunts. 

So now let's talk about the travel trends for 2024. So these are things that Expedia, Hotels.com, all the online big boxes are telling us that you are going to want. So I am calling this, What you're going to start seeing pictures of by travel influencers in your Instagram feed. Aka, what travel advisors are starting to learn about and do to please you, our fabulous clients and travelers. So we have set jetting, which I would like to say that I am a specialist in. And that is why I am offering my Sex some of the city themed cruise. So set jetting, it really took on that name and a life of its own based on the Four Seasons at the White Lotus, which next year is going to be in Thailand. So people are already starting to study and get Thailand certifications and specializations, so that we are all ready for you to go stay the 4 seasons in Thailand. 

But also after the Sex and the City cruise, and the success of having Molly Rogers, Cindy Shupik, and Richard Lawson, get ready for that Emily in Paris tour, the fashion and costume designer for Emily Paris is all ready, and we're looking at a wine river cruise for either late 2024 or the summer of 2025. So Get ready for those things, and you can always check out my website for more information. 

Along those same lines, because of the success of Taylor Swift and the Eras tour. You Swifties have so much influence in the world right now. So watch out in 2024 for your favorite tour, and you can gallivant across the globe to follow them. I personally am very sorry that I missed the Jonas Brothers. I would have traveled to see them in Europe. Well, okay. Not really, but maybe Beyonce. But I did travel. This is a while ago. The last Barbra Streisand tour, I traveled to Vegas to see her. So I guess that's gonna be more and more of a thing as people are going to seek out tours and not just rely on trying to get tickets to their locally sold out. 

Okay. Another trend, Hotels .com found that over 40% of 20,000 survey respondents said they were likely to book a detox trip in the next year. So half of travelers want to be interested in staying at hotels that offer, not only great mixology drinks, but also decent mocktails and alcohol free drink options. I was really surprised by that stat, because that is me. I'm not a heavy drinker, and I do love a good mocktail or virgin cocktail. I think that Virgin Voyages really has an in on this because they talk about how they love to detox, and they have a great gym, spa, and smoothies to help you do that. And then they can retox you up at night. So they kind of have that verbiage already down. And so I think there's a lead in on that. 

And finally, the biggest trend, and we started seeing this already with building, especially construction on new and larger cruise ships. But Pickleball courts are all the rage. And so all inclusives, cruise ships, resorts, anybody that's trying to attract your vacation dollar, They are installing pickleball courts, ping pong tables, outdoor hot tubs. Everybody wants to take the indoors and put it outdoors. It's becoming top priorities for travelers who are seeking active and outdoorsy holidays next year. So This time next year, I plan to be telling you that Disney and Universal are going to have pickleball court somewhere on their resort properties. Because That is one thing I don't know of. And I should look this up, but I wonder if the Four Seasons resort at Walt Disney World is gonna install pickle ball courts. Because if I were to see them, I think they would be the 1st to do it.

So the end of 2024, we will look back and see how I did. And maybe I can find an old article. Thank you to my friend, Google, for someone who wrote something in 2015 teen about what travel was gonna be like in 2025. Until then, I wish all of you to stay out of the holiday madness. Enjoy some time with your loved ones, and dream about putting travel under your holiday family celebrations. Happy Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates, including my family. And I will see you real soon.