Booking.com released its annual travel predictions report for 2024. Amid all the things travelers are looking forward to experiencing in the year ahead is perhaps the most shocking twist of all. The report revealed a very universal truth among travelers: we all love to lie a little.
“A whopping 68 percent of travelers believe they transform into the best version of themselves while roaming, but which version of themselves do they choose to showcase?” Booking.com asked. “With 62 percent relishing the anonymity that travel offers, 37 percent telling fictional stories about their lives, and 57 percent exuding ‘main character energy,’ travelers are adding an element of intrigue in 2024.”
So, if you’ve ever given someone a fake name at a bar, booked a room under a pseudonym, or pretended to be a secret agent somewhere else in the world, know you’re not alone.
According to the report, which surveyed 27,000 travelers across 33 countries, 70 percent of Americans “enjoy the anonymity of travel,” which we can only assume means it’s the group that likes to make up the most stories. Italians, the report found, are the “most honest” travelers among us, and are the least likely to make up a tall tale.
“These alter ego enthusiasts love the thrill of embodying a 2.0 version of themselves and go to great lengths to reimagine their best self,” Booking.com shared in a statement obtained by Travel + Leisure. “Fueling the idea that people take on different personas when traveling to feel more alive, over two-thirds (68 percent) feel they are the best version of themselves on vacation, able to shed inhibitions and embrace new aspects of their personalities, while 42 percent would even pay to rent a nicer car than they drive at home to live their finest lives with confidence.”
So, where will people be going in 2024 to live out their version of the truth? According to the findings, the next year will be all about waterside escapes (from reality).
“With the warmer weather, 67 percent of travelers are looking to water-centric getaways. 36 percent yearn for the view of an ocean or a lake, and 75 percent find instant relaxation by the water’s edge,” the findings shared.
An additional 18 percent of travelers surveyed said they are “prioritizing well-being, turning to retreats rather than riverbanks for solace,” while 20 percent of travelers noted they’d be looking into health retreats. And 14 percent noted they’d even be interested in trying out a psychedelic retreat. And 2024 will be yet another big year for solo travel, with 54 percent of female respondents and 63 percent of male respondents saying they’re planning solo getaways.
“Our 2024 travel predictions reflect the idea that travel is not a means to escape life, but instead a catalyst to live our best lives,” Arjan Dijk, the SVP and CMO at Booking.com, said in a statement. “From thrilling adventures in a new destination to feeling the pulse of a new culture and every experience in between, travel allows us to become the best version of ourselves.”
See all the travel predictions for 2024, and check to see if we’re lying, at booking.com.