#Trending This Week - Polar Safaris, Baby Boomers' Travel Spend, Doggy Bags, Tattourism, And Micro-Retirement
Issue 241 • April 8, 2025
There’s a lot to cover this week when it comes to shifts in travel behaviors — including some new terms like “micro-retirement” and “polar safaris” and news about the unfortunate decline of the once-popular doggy bag. Check it all out in our three-minute read below.
Polar Safaris Are On The Rise
Whether it’s because travelers are looking to avoid crowds in warm-weather destinations or trying to avoid the heat altogether, travelers are flocking toward cooler climates. “Ice-olated Escapes” are one of the top trends in Virtuoso’s 2025 “Luxe Report,” and polar safaris, in particular, are on the rise. These excursions offer encounters with the region’s most elusive wildlife in their natural habitats and also support vital conservation projects. They’re a win-win for travelers: bragging rights for gorgeous photography as well as impactful journeys. Read more in Luxury Travel Advisor here.
Baby Boomers Are Funding A LOT Of Travel
Baby Boomers are increasingly spending their life savings on shared extended family experiences by traveling together. Furthermore, Baby Boomers are also funding their children’s trips, with 52% of younger people admitting their parents had paid for them to go away in the last year. Learn more at Hotel Management here.
Doggy Bags Are Out
People love eating out, but a funny thing has happened to those too-big-to-finish portions that have become de rigeur at restaurants: the leftovers are staying on the table. The venerable doggie bag is becoming a thing of the past, in part, because of the ease with which a fresh meal can be ordered online and delivered, despite complaints about the economy. And the amount of food waste restaurants are dealing with is also unfortunately growing. Read more at The Food Institute here.
Hotels Are Embracing The Tattourism Trend
While the concept of tattourism dates back centuries when sailors marked their journeys around the world with tattoos, it has evolved into a modern movement that blends travel, self-expression, and storytelling. Currently, many Gen-Z and Millennial travelers are driving this cultural trend, favoring meaningful ink as the preferred souvenir over traditional keepsakes, and hotels are starting to invest in the trend by offering on-site opportunities to get ink. Read more in Breaking Travel News here.
“Micro-Retirement” Is Having A Moment
Word is out that some Gen Zs are taking a “micro-retirement” to address burnout. The idea is that retirement doesn’t have to be a fixed, clearly defined period at the end of your working life. Rather, it’s possible to restore your human energy and levels of wellbeing by dipping in and out of it, with small or large career breaks. Many are using the time off to travel — which could mean a boost in business for hotels/destinations/travel companies. Read more in The Conversation here.
STRATEGIC CONTENT DIRECTION
Do you have an overall content strategy for your brand or are you just churning out emails, social media captions, blogs, etc. without any specific plan in mind?
All too often, those tasked with the marketing responsibility hire agencies that work in silos. The social media agency has one strategy they are focused on. The secretary or sales manager tasked with email marketing just wants to get the next email off her desk so she throws something together and hits send.
As a result you end up with gaps in messaging, inconsistent positioning, missed opportunities to tell your story, an inability to create relationship with your customer, and a fixation on selling them to make a quick booking which ultimately results in a lost sale.
JC Communications can help you create a content roadmap for all of your target customer touchpoints so the messaging delivered is consistent, impactful, and on brand. For more information, reach out to Jane Coloccia at Jane@JCCommunicationsllc.com.