8 Most Important Travel Trends for 2018

It may seem premature to talk about what will be big in the world of travel in 2018, but if you are working with a large group, a student group, a graduating class, or just simply like to plan ahead (which is always better when it comes to travel), this list of Top 8 Travel Trends of 2018 will be extremely helpful for you!

Read up, plan ahead, and book now!

*Check out the top travel trends for 2017 here.


  • Culinary Tours - If there is one thing we will always stand by here at AST, it’s that there is no better way to get to know a new place or a new culture than by eating the local foods! Local 'ma and pa shops', hidden gems, city classics, and even farmers' markets are really great ways to experience a place, a way to immerse yourself into the flavors and ingredients prominent in the area. Culinary tours, whether booked through a tour company in that city or booked for a city in general, are growing in popularity immensely, making them our number one choice for top travel trends in 2018.
    Adventure Student Tip: Try to find a local farmer’s market or street vendor and purchase local fresh options, it will be better on your budget and you will get the added experience of either cooking the food you bought yourself or heading to a local park or green space for a scenic picnic.


  • Voluntourism - Whether it’s volunteering abroad, ecotourism trips, or medical trips, volunteer tourism is on the rise, predicted to be one of the bigger travel trends in 2018! The upcoming generation not only actively engages in travel, they actively engage in helping others regularly, which makes voluntourism a perfect trend for them to follow. There are so many options, from medical missionary trips in Africa to Red Cross hurricane support here in the U.S, it won’t be hard to find the perfect trip for your group.
    Adventure Student Tip: If there aren’t any local disasters you can help with through Habitat for Humanity or Red Cross, try any local state or national park. They typically have programs in which volunteers can maintain trails, pick up trash, and help local wildlife.


  • Adventure Travel - We didn’t choose this next travel trend simply because it's in our namesake, we chose it because as mentioned before, the actively traveling generation in 2018 is really, well, active! There is a rising trend in ‘adventure travel’, meaning many people want to hike, bike, canoe, kayak, zip line, bungee jump, and heli-trek their way around the cities they are seeing. The sky is literally the limit with this option, with so many new adventure opportunities to choose from,  from indoor skydiving in Florida to snow-rafting in Quebec.
    Adventure Student Tip: If you are in a location that offers zip lining, do it! This is the perfect adventure to get your heart pumping, allow you to see the sights, and get to know the geography of the area all the more while doing so! Hold on tight!

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    Credit AST


  • Family Trips - Family travel is nothing new, we certainly know that, but it is something that more and more young people are opting to do more often, a growing travel trend for 2018. Instead of the parents or grandparents planning the trip and forcing you and your siblings to come along, now it’s you who wants to travel, and you have to convince your parents to come too! Well, maybe that’s not quite how it works with your family, but you get the point. Family trips may just become the new spring break!
    Adventure Student Tip: Pack your family up for a road trip and head to a nearby state you’ve still never been to. You won’t be too far from home, you’ll see something new, and you’ll get a lot of bonding time along the way!

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    Family Vacation Pixabay Public Domain


  • Healing Vacations - There is an entire catalog of hotels around the world dedicated to making their guests feel more ‘well’, a rising travel trend that we simply can’t ignore on our way to 2018. From losing weight to improving mental health, these hotels will offer their guests workouts, yoga, spa days, acupuncture, and even therapy sessions. If you feel like a vacation away from home will do your body, and your mind, good, then go do it, now’s a perfect time!
    Adventure Student Tip: If you are feeling particularly stressed out at work or school one month, take a weekend away to your nearest health-centric hotel or spa. It really will help, and you’ll get to travel someplace new! (Student-Friendly Spas)


  • National Parks - With the National Park Service turning 100 this year, in 2016, the amount of incoming visitors to parks around the nation is booming and is even predicted to continue booming well into 2018. Advanced reservations for knowingly-crowded campsites are already underway for next season, giving more reason to believe it will be huge in 2018. From Joshua Tree to Assateague, you can almost see every landscape type in our National Parks, so go explore!
    Adventure Student Tip: Choose a type of geography or landscape, you particularly enjoy or have never before seen and research the perfect National Park for yourself from there. I.E, if you love mountains as we do, plan a trip to the Smoky Mountain National Park.

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    Credit AST Danielle Breshears


  • Travel Insurance - New viruses, new terrorist threats, and new easily affordable insurance options make our next 2018 travel trend, travel insurance, one of our absolutely most important. We believe that when traveling, no matter how far the distance, you should always feel safe and have peace of mind. To ensure you won’t lose money on a missed flight, pay a heap on a wrecked rental car, or even spend a fortune in the hospital after an accident or disease, grab yourself and/or your group some quality travel insurance, you won’t regret it!
    Adventure Student Tip: Check online at insuremytrip.com or travelguard.com to find out how affordable it is for your big 2018 trip to be covered. (Should I get Travel Insurance?)


  • Train Travel - Vintage or retro train travel is coming back full force, expected to be one of the bigger modes of transportation in 2018. We know that train travel, especially vintage train travel, is not the fastest or even most efficient way to get to where you need to go, but it is an experience in itself if you are just looking to enjoy the scenery, take a historical route, or learn about trains and their history in general.
    Adventure Student Tip: If you have quite a bit of time, catch a ride on the California Zephyr, a 51 hour trip from Chicago to California. If you are pinched for time try to board the Ethan Allen Express, the New York classic that will show you NYC to Rutland, Vermont. (Top Train Travel Trips)

    Arizona Railroad Travel Canstockphoto