Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/776538
DREAMSCAPES WINTER/SPRING 2017 58 M any of us plan vacations as an idyllic reward for the rigours of everyday life and now, with the increasing efficiency of digital guidance, it has never been easier to experience exactly what we want. Fingers crossed. There will always be surprises, the unknowns counting on our sense of adventure, all of which add up to a really good trip. So what personalization, you may ask, is shaping the plans of worldwide travellers in 2017? One of them, data shows, is an increasing quest to learn and understand how we share the planet. It's the collective desire to explore beyond the horizon, says Booking.com, refer- ring to the preferences expressed by its global customers as they hunt for deals on accommodation in 227 countries. "Experiencing the unknown, encoun- tering different people and cultures, and testing new limits are all at the core of what drives us to travel," adds Pepijn Rijvers, the website's chief marketing officer. As importantly, "while travellers are displaying an insatiable appetite for adventure, most of us are mindful of the impact those experiences could have on the local culture and natural resource sus- tainability." Specifically, here's what your fellow trav- ellers from all corners of the globe are planning for themselves this year, com- bined with a few new ideas: JUST PENNIES TO BRING YOUR BESTIE Setting out with a favourite companion is the way to go and that includes helpful companions of the electronic variety. Mobile apps are an anytime, low-cost, per- sonal tour guide and, in 2017, 52 per cent of travellers say they expect to use these effi- cient little pals more frequently. There are apps to guide you from your global position to the places you request like landmarks, restaurants, events and attractions, and to under-the-radar needs such as grocery stores, parking lots and emergency services. In Los Angeles, for example, receive up-to- the-minute happenings from KCRW Radio, or quickly find sports tickets, nearby yoga- and-spin fitness centres, or find out about wildly different physical fitness experiences like sandbox boot camp and dance parties in the morning. DiscoverLosAngeles.com PIGGYBACK WITHOUT YOUR PIGGYBANK Would you work for less money if your job included lots of travel? Put another way: does working around the clock as you do now pale in comparison to a frequent change-of-scene and a pampered hotel life? Of those polled, 30 per cent said yes. As well, 49 per cent said they regularly extend busi- ness trips for leisure pursuits, and 75 per cent of them said they will do the same this year. Take Boston, for instance. It is one TRAVEL SLEUTH >> BY JANE STOKES DS TOP: Find your perfect island getaway in the Bahamas. Nassau Paradise Island Promotion Board ABOVE: Get energized at an early-morning rave with Daybreaker in Los Angeles. Daybreaker OPPOSITE TOP: Travellers are expressing a growing appetite for exploring environments in an authentic way. Booking.com OPPOSITE CENTRE: Enjoy Vermont's great outdoors year-round. Dennis Curran OPPOSITE BOTTOM: As many as a third of travellers prefer only eco-friendly options. Booking.com ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL