Travel Year in Review 2016

More people than ever chose to put their hard-earned dollars toward travel over retail goods this past summer. According to Skift—a leader in travel data analysis—there was a "seismic shift in consumer spending," with travel sales in July showing an 8.6 percent increase as compared to July 2015. Travel in the domestic U.S. was especially strong, says Skift, likely due to safety concerns in Europe.

Gone are the days where the pool would be the only activity on a family's vacation agenda. Especially over the past year, families are becoming far more adventurous with their travels. "I'm so excited to see more families want to be active and explore a bit off the normal circuit with G Adventures and Nat Geo Travels," says Suzanne Wolko of PhilaTravelGirl. Among the destinations she's seeing more of: Belize, the Galapagos and Costa Rica.

Instead of limiting the trip to immediate family, families are bringing the great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins—you name it. "Villas and larger family suites are all part of the narrative now," says Wolko. Cruise ships especially have picked up on the trend. The latest Royal Caribbean ship, for example, offers family suits plus solo cabins, says Wolko (she herself is currently scheduled to take a multigenerational cruise trip for her grandmom's birthday).

While the popularity of staying in people's homes in lieu of hotels hasn't waned, travelers are looking for an added notch in luxury. Wolko's pick is to try One Fine Stay, where all properties are vetted before acceptance and managed by one firm. This way, it takes the uncertainty out of whether you'll be getting a condo that looks similar to its pictures and description.

Image via One Fine Stay

Given the increasing costs of checking luggage, the cons of lugging your gear—from baby gear to ski gear—are quickly outweighing the pros. Rental-gear services that deliver to your destination have never been more popular (for baby gear, that would be Babierge and for ski gear, it's Ski Butlers). Heck, the trend has gone so far as having clothes valeted to your hotel room closet so you never have to bring a suitcase. (No, really. Meet DUFL.)

Media focus on the Zika virus took a hard toll on travel to the Caribbean, especially during the holiday season, says Eric Grayson, founder of Discover 7—a luxury travel concierge company in New York City. "At a time when travel to the Caribbean is usually at its peak, we are seeing a sharp decline in bookings by perhaps as much as about 35 percent," he says. As a result, travel to Hawaii has increased by about 20 percent as compared to last year; and there's also been a 10 to15 percent uptick in vacations to cold-weather destinations like Aspen, Vail and Park City, he notes.

Frequent flyer miles are starting to seem like less of a good deal these days. And this year was no exception. Airlines are holding out to sell seats at full price until the last minute, so it's harder to get an upgrade or an award seat, says Roman Shteyn, CEO of RewardExpert—a free service that helps travelers find the most affordable flights using miles and points. On the flip side, the cost of business and first class seats have started to drop in hopes that they'll be purchased with cash instead of miles, says Shteyn.

If you signed up for a reward credit card this year, you're in good company. While frequent flyer miles are on the decline, reward credit cards are on an upswing. "Travel rewards cards have significantly upped their game," says Shteyn. "The sign-up bonuses are at an unprecedented high, as seen with the 100k bonus for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, with an increasing list of perks for members. Rewards cards are providing more flexibility and value than ever before."

For those who discovered the easy, breezy TSA Pre-Check early on, this might not be welcomed news: The number of TSA Pre-Check applications more than doubled between the months of March and June—from less than 7,000 applicants a day to more than 16,000, according to NPR. Global Entry, which allows international travelers to bypass customs, has also increased in popularity as well as Mobile Passport—a free app that also lets you skip the customs line. If you haven't already applied for one of these programs, Shteyn points out that many travel rewards cards will actually cover the cost of applying.

For any mom in need of a weekend to recharge (so, every mom on the planet), this next travel trend might be music to your ears—or maybe you're one of the trendsetters helping its newfound popularity. The "Mommy Moon"—a girls' trip intended just for moms to get away is the latest craze that Odellia Fischer of Take Off Concierge has noticed. The "Mommy Moon" trips also usually have a specific focus to them, such as revolving around a spiritual or yoga retreat, she says.

Some of the most popular destinations of 2016 that Fischer noticed were Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Singapore, Colombia, Portland (for foodies, especially), Aspen, the National Parks (likely motivated by its centennial celebration) and Iceland, which she predicts will carry over as a hot spot in 2017. For family vacations, London was popular, as well as Orlando, New Orleans and Miami. The latter three cities have been drawing people for their burgeoning culinary offerings, she notes, even Orlando. "Orlando has had a resurgence as a foodie town with many upscale chefs opening great restaurants there as well as moderate to upscale resorts," Fischer says. "Families are traveling to Orlando as the destination choice and the theme parks as a secondary reason now, instead of the other way around like in previous years."

As families become more over-worked, over-scheduled and overly attached to their devices, vacation isn't just a time to relax anymore. "Families are seeking vacations as more of a necessity to reconnect," says Fischer. Participating in a teamwork-focused activity has become a focus of many vacations over the past year. With teens and college-age kids especially, families are seeking "volunteer vacations" where a project consumes the entirety of their trip—such as constructing a house with Habitat for Humanity or helping build and maintain a trail in a national forest.

According to the World Airport Awards (indeed, that is a thing), based on 13.25 million survey questionnaires, Singapore won the award for the best overall airport of 2016. Tokyo was dubbed the cleanest airport, along with having the best dining; London Heathrow won for "best shopping" and for the "best terminal" (T5); Zurich took the award for best security and Emirates won the distinction of being the best airline of the year.