We wanted to send you a personal message at this current time to express our best wishes to you and your family’s health wherever you might be in the world.
If you are currently in ‘self-isolation’ or ‘lockdown’ like we are here in Australia, you’ll be itching to get out again soon to explore the world and that time will come. But we believe now, more than ever before, it is critical for the world to connect, share their past travel experiences, future plans and inspire each other to get through this period.
As our most valued members of the Travello community – we would like to ask for your help.
Help us connect the world on Travello, help us make the world feel less isolated.
Please encourage your friends, family, friends of friends, neighbours, work colleagues, generally anyone to sign up for free to Travello via your referral link and help us grow our global community of passionate Travello’ers. By sharing your link you’ll get $10USD for each friend who joins – but we know this isn’t just about the money.
If you haven’t already been invited, we would also like to invite you to our private “Travello Power Users Group” on Facebook. Here you can have direct communication with myself and the Travello team. You will have your say on future Travello features, designs and help shape the app going forward. You can join this group by clicking HERE.
If you aren’t already, we will be working right now on elevating your Travello status to ‘Expert’ as one of the top 250 members in our global community of over 800,000. You are the leaders of our community and we want to reflect that right now.
So please inspire our community by posting, liking and commenting as much as you can. Please also offer assistance to the many travelers who are now stuck away from their home country.
Finally, thanks for helping us connect the world when it needs it more than ever before.
Short 4-10 Day trips account for 50% of travel intention for the next 12 months.
Just over half of all respondents (54%) were female, so any perception that women weren’t as willing as men to travel solo is completely wrong!
Over 97% of our respondents said they would be travelling in the next 12 months and it looks like short sharp trips are on the rise! 50% said they travel (on average) for 4-10 days at a time, 23% for 11-20 days and only 18% were hitting the road for over 21 days.
The experiences you have while travelling is the best thing about travel
When asked what the best part about travelling was, there was a runaway winner with 72% stating Experiences (including tours & activities). The people you meet was the next best thing (16%) with the places you stay (7%), the food you eat (4%) and the things you buy (>1%) taking out the minor placings. So experiences and people are clearly the most important things for today’s traveller.
Are you mobile-ready as a travel business? You better be!
As expected, the mobile phone plays an integral role for travellers today with 83% saying they used their mobile to book one or more parts of their last trip.
Over 50% of travellers have booked tours & experiences on their mobile.
Accommodation & flights lead the way, but the big growth came in the “Experiences” vertical, with over 54% saying they had used their mobile to book a tour, activity or experience on their last trip. This is significantly higher than most industry surveys that report mobile booking for experiences closer to 30%. It looks like Travello, Klook, Get your Guide and some of the other Experience OTAs are on the right track!
Today’s travellers would rather collect experiences, not things
It’s a cliché, but it looks like it’s also the truth! Today’s travellers would rather collect experiences, not things. When asked where they preferred to spend their travel budget, experiences came out well ahead of flights, accommodation, food, beverages and transfers. It looks like they are happy to rough it on the flight and the hotel in order to get that amazing experience (and Instagram shot to prove it!)
over 20% of travellers now like to book the majority of their trip after they arrive in the destination
Mobile, phones and increased connectivity are also having an impact on the booking window, which is becoming shorter and shorter. While the majority of travellers still like to book in advance, over 20% of travellers now like to book the majority of their trip after they arrive in the destination. This correlates with the growth in solo travel and the spontaneous nature that goes along with it. Solo travellers are less bound to plans, can meet people as they go and find amazing adventures they never had planned!
Peer to peer recommendations rule the roost
And what’s the biggest influence on their travel decision making? Peer to peer recommendations! Over 31% said peer’s recommendations played the biggest part in where they went and what they did. But Trip Advisor isn’t dead just yet, with reviews (29%) coming in a close second. The days of the travel influencer might be coming to an end with only 9% saying these tanned travel gods are their biggest influence – on par with old school travel ads at 9%. So it seems the humble fellow traveller is a bigger influence than the influencers!
What would you choose travel over?
We also thought we’d have a little fun, just to see how important travel really was! And guess what – it’s pretty important! 62% said they would choose their dream trip over their dream job and 76% would choose travel over a home deposit. 80% would choose travel over sex (I guess that depends who you’re doing it with!) and just over half of respondents (53%) would actually choose travel over their partner!
Would you choose a dream tip or a dream job?
Would you choose a home deposit or would you use that same money to travel?
Would you choose the love of a partner or love of travel?
Would you choose more travel or more sex?
Travello’s inaugural Global Travel Survey revealed some great insights. We’ll be back next year to see what’s changed, what’s new and whether even more people would choose travel over their partners!
I’m going to assume that not many people raised their hands. Let’s just be honest — packing sucks! If you’re like me, I usually leave it until the night before the flight leaves. I’m usually spending longer than necessary trying to figure out what to bring, looking at the weather app 10 times in one minute, and then getting distracted on social media. It’s a process.
But after taking my fair share holidays, backpacking trips, or visits to grandma and grandpa’s, I think I’ve got this whole packing thing down. At least, I know what not to pack. Here are six items I always regret packing because it’s just not worth it.
That extra pair of shoes, “just in case”
Photo Credit: Unsplash
There are plentyyy of “just in case” items that run through my head when I’m packing. Some of them include a belt, a hat, an extra bathing suit, a bulky jumper — you know, the things that you might need. But what I’ve learned from packing these “just in case” items is that I absolutely do not need that extra pair of shoes.
When I travel, I’m happy with taking a pair of sandals/thongs, a pair of walking shoes (my Converse have been around the world and back), and a pair of sneakers (if I think I’ll be exercising or doing a hike). That’s it! I know that’s all I’ll need. In the past, I’ve regretted packing a pair of heels “just in case” I go clubbing or an extra pair of sandals to match a dress I didn’t end up wearing. If you’re joining a group tour, make sure to read through the suggested packing list so that you have the appropriate items.
Hardcover books
Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash
Ahh, this was a tough one for me to come to terms with. Yes, I’m one of those people who loves physically flipping a page when I read. But taking a heavy book on a holiday is not ideal. Most of the time, I don’t even open it.
I recently made the long-overdue switch to reading off a Kindle and I hate to admit that it’s WAY better for a frequent traveller. And TBH, I’ve found that I actually read more with the E-reader than with a physical book! So it’s a win-win for me and my backpack.
Valuable sunglasses
Photo by Ethan Robertson on Unsplash
I know there are some peeps out there who love their designer brand sunglasses! I love them too! They’re stylish and trendy, but not usually durable… which makes packing them a nightmare. After losing or crushing three pairs of Ray-Bans on a holiday, I’ve decided that I am no longer allowed to bring valuable sunglasses with me on vacation. Instead, I’ll buy a cheap pair of sunglasses from a vendor or convenience store to use during my travels. That way I’m less worried about them and I can come home to my nice $250 pair of sunnies.
Laptop
Photo Credit: Unsplash
Unless you absolutely know that you’ll need it for work, don’t pack your laptop! It’s not only a burden to carry around with you, but also a valuable item that’s at high risk of being stolen. At the end of the day, it’s not worth it to worry about its safety in your dorm or hotel room while you’re out exploring a foreign destination. Leave it at home for peace of mind.
Anything irreplaceable
Photo by Artem Beliaikin on Unsplash
When I pack for a holiday or backpacking trip, I need to remind myself that I’m coming home. I don’t need to take any irreplaceable items — and I’m not talking electronics, but rather nice jewellery/heirlooms, artwork, or custom made treasures. It’s totally unnecessary and not worth the looming worry in the back of your head. When you travel, you just have to assume that anything can happen to you or your belongings. It’s best not to pack any valuable items.
Anything that I can share with my travel buddy
Photo by Duy Pham on Unsplash
If you’re travelling with a group of friends or a travel partner, link up on sharing certain items such as a hairdryer, shampoo, conditioner, sunscreen, soap, toothpaste, or other toiletries. I’ve found that it’s not necessary to both bring these items when you can simply share and save space in your suitcase. Come on now, no one has cooties. If you’re travelling solo, invest in travel-size containers that you can refill, instead of buying new ones for every trip. When it comes to toiletries and cosmetics, keep the mind-frame that less is more.
