Where to go to be in the know…

I concluded long ago that most things are subject to fashion. The dogs that are trotted round my local park, the fact that everyone seems to be talking about soft-serve ice-cream this year; fashion is not just what went down the catwalk or the current cool brand of trainers, it shapes our consumer choices across the board.

Travel, naturally, is not immune. There are different types of trends, some more fleeting, some hang around. Some are just new labels for things that have always existed (we had holidays at home long before the term staycation was coined) and others are tangible shifts in preference and behaviour. So where to go to keep abreast of these changes and to see if there are lessons to be learnt? Here’s the lowdown on some of my favourite sources of trends and opinion; people and platforms that share insights which give me pause for thought and spark my imagination:

Journalist Jenny Southan’s Globetrender provides updates on emerging trends across travel. Some of them are quite out there. Prix fixe menus in the stratosphere from £105,000 courtesy of French balloon travel company Zephalto or super premium ‘poppers’ in a legal high experience from food experimentalists Bompas & Parr might not be trends you can roll out just like that, but this is a platform which can genuinely lay claim to ‘you heard it here first’. Jenny also supplies consultancy and is an expert on inclusive and queer travel, helping brands evolve sensitively.

Marketing and brand consultancy Matter of Form’s newsletter The New Luxurian is a place of comment and analysis rather than listing top trends. It’s where behaviours are thoughtfully unpicked and described in sometimes punchy, always intelligent, ways.  For example, a recent comment on luxury consumer behaviour stated ‘But new luxury is about measured indulgence. Uninterested in unnecessary excess but in awe of ethical extravagance. And if new luxurians wish to overindulge in anything, it’s conscientious change or sustainable futures.’ You can find them on LinkedIn, so sign up for their quick and pithy reads.

For industry trends alongside consumer travel updates, I’m a big fan of Skift, the US based platform that reports on travel globally. They have daily news updates, a range of podcasts on different topics, events around the globe and serious research pieces that give both the state of the nation on key segments within travel, but trustworthy analysis and predictions. Super comprehensive, Skift is probably a great place to start if you want to find out what’s what in the world of travel today.

Roadbook is a comparatively new digital travel magazine that features wonderfully thoughtful ‘long read’ opinion pieces. In an era when much travel editorial is short and snappy, and driven by social media trends, Roadbook does its own thing in eloquent style. The complex issues of sustainability, inclusion and privilege get dealt with head on by guest writers and the site is not afraid to ask questions like ‘What on earth are NFTs?’ – questions that I’m sure many were pondering. Combine that with a beautiful layout and some insightful destination pieces and reviews, and Roadbook is a great way to get your head round issues and intriguing trends.

Of course, these are just a few of my favourites…what are yours?