🌎 2024 travel trends from our HolidayPirates crew 🏴‍☠️

Travel trends

We're almost in the thick of winter, which means we’re already planning our 2024 getaways. We're letting you in on the hottest travel trends for 2024.

Unique travel destinations are at the top of the list according to our survey, with 53% of you looking to avoid tourist hotspots next year, which means gorgeous lesser-known destinations are on the up!

We also found that our users are looking for destinations closer to home in Europe, but still finding less travelled destinations.

27% are going on a solo trip next year, because why wait for someone else to go on that amazing trip you've been wanting to take?

47% of you book add-on travel experiences to try new adventures. Food and local culture are going to play a big part in people's travel experiences.

Sustainability is important for our users too with 80% being open to travelling by train.

Gen Z and Millennials are planning to spend more on travel in 2024 despite the cost of living rising. Social media platforms like TikTok are showcasing underrated destinations and 'off the beaten track' places that pique their interest to travel the unknown. Having access to internet is important to these users who want to stay connected while away.

2024 travel destinations

We’ve scoped out up-and-coming destinations, budget alternatives to the well-known tourist traps and some lesser-known niche beauties that will make you stand out when you post your 2024 travel pics.

🏴‍☠️ These destinations have been hand-picked by our Pirate editors, we've even tested some of them for you!

And of course, we’re pirates, so we won’t just tell you where to go, we’ll give you the low down on what makes the destination good value, the best deals to get you there and why it's worth a visit.

Milos, Greece 

🌊 Best for beach lovers wanting to stay closer to home

Greece will always be a popular destination, but it's not always the cheapest option. Large crowds tend to drive prices up, so it makes sense that some of the more quiet islands in Greece would offer more affordable options. 

The first on our 2024 travel destination list is Milos, where you can find picturesque white villages similar to Santorini and Mykonos, and dramatic white cliffs and turquoise waters that will remind you of Zante. It's still relatively quiet compared to other Greek islands and accommodation, food and drink are all considerably cheaper than the more tourist hot spots.

Getting there?

You'll need to head to Athens first on a direct flight. There are plenty of cheap options from multiple departure airports in the UK. Although this may seem like a bit of a task, it gives you the chance to explore Athens, another current hot spot, before you head on to Milos. You can then take a short (around 40 minutes) direct flight or a ferry (around 3-4 hours) to Milos.

You can easily grab lush accommodation for under £50 a night, which is considerably cheaper than Santorini, where prices range from £100-£1000s per night.

Vigo, Spain

🎣 Best for foodies and history lovers

This lesser known destination in Spain is a must for the 2024 destination hot list. Vigo is located in Spain's Galicia region, and we know it probably isn’t the first place you would visit when planning a Spanish getaway, but you should definitely consider it.

The town is steeped in historic charm, the white sand beaches in the area rival the Caribbean and you’ll be spoilt for choice when it comes to authentic food.

From Vigo you can take a train to get to Santiago de Compostela from under €12 or even head to Porto, Portugal in just over 2 hours for less than a tenner.

Getting there?

Flights to Vigo are usually cheaper than other Spanish cities, we found flights from under £30 return and have seen these fairly consistently - earlier this year we saw prices from £17 so keep your eyes peeled!

Hotel prices are fairly cheap too in Vigo, so the overall trip won't cost you much. We have seen great central hotel options from £30-60 a night. Let's say you choose the £30 (£15 per person) a night option and nab your flights for £17, then you could have a 3-night trip for £62!

Sopot, Poland 

💰 Best for budget and solo travellers

Poland is one of the cheapest European countries to visit – and a firm favourite at HolidayPirates. And while most visitors make a beeline for Warsaw and Krakow, we reckon you should give Sopot a try for 2024. It's just as good value, but it gives you a feel for a totally different side to Poland: its coast.

There are temperatures of 20C and above in the summer but it's also lovely to visit in the winter too. Food and drink is super cheap and there are so many cute cafés, restaurants, shops and bars. There's loads to see here including the pier, Krzywy Domek (the famous crooked building), yachting experiences, lots of health spas and museums.

Getting there? 

You can grab return flights to Gdansk from under £30. From Gdańsk Główny station, you can take a 12-minute train to Sopot for under a tenner.

It's slightly cheaper to stay in Gdańsk city centre over Sopot, but there are still really affordable hotel options near the beach in Sopot. You can find 4-star hotel options from £45 a night and 3-star options from £35 a night.

Solo travellers, this is a great option for you as the hotel prices are so cheap it won’t break the bank to pay for a room alone. Alternatively, there are great central hostel options from £17 a night.

Lombok, Indonesia

🌋 Best for adventure seekers

Lombok is often referred to as Bali's sister island, but it still remains relatively untouched by mass tourism and travel influencers. It's the gateway to the Gili Islands, which are a must-visit if you want a real taste of the island life.

You'll find white-sand beaches, a volcano, lush green landscapes to explore and stunning beach resorts.

Less touristy also means cheaper prices. Once in Lombok, expect to pay 25-30% less for accommodation, transport, food and activities

Getting there?

Flying from the UK to Lombok can be a bit of a mission, we'll admit. Your best options are to fly to Bali (Denpasar airport) and take a ferry over to Lombok, which means you can experience what both islands have to offer. Alternatively, you could fly to either Singapore or Kuala Lumpur from around £500 return and take a direct flight to Lombok from there.

Although getting here can be pricy, accommodation and food/drink is cheap, so this can offset the cost, especially if you're planning on a longer trip or adding this as a destination to a multi-stop trip. We have seen 4-star beach resorts from as low as £19 a night.

North Iceland

📸 Best for the insta-loving photographers

Iceland is old news, right? Wrong. Since Iceland burst onto the travel scene about a decade ago, most visitors have focused their trips around the south of the island, it’s understandable as that’s where Reykjavik (Iceland’s capital) and its airport are located. 

And, it’s where you’ll find most of the main tourist hot spots attractions (the Blue Lagoon, the Golden Circle, Skógafoss, the Black Sand Beach of Reynisfjara, Fjaðrárgljúfur river canyon and more).

However, the north of the island is still relatively undiscovered, as it has previously not been that easy to get to. So if you love to discover new places that not many have yet ventured to, this could be a hit for your 2024 bucket list.

Getting there?

One of the main reasons this destination has hit our 2024 travel list is because you can finally get direct flights from the UK with this brand-new route to Akureyri from easyJet. They run twice a week and we have seen return fares from as little as £44.

You can easily grab hotels or guest houses in the area from under £100 a night.

São Miguel Island, the Azores

🏔️ Best for the avid hikers

The Azores are Europe's answer to Hawaii, but while a trip to Hawaii will set you back £1000s, you can get to the Azores for much cheaper.

Located in Portugal, which is becoming increasingly popular, especially in areas like Lisbon and Porto (also firm favourites of ours for 2024), the Azores still remains fairly quiet and untouched, so it's perfect for those looking to get away from the crowds and explore somewhere that not many have.

Thanks to the island’s rich volcanic soil coupled with the tropical weather the result is a lush and verdant landscape - hence why it’s often likened to Hawaii. Whale watching, horseback riding, hiking, green tea plantations and thermal baths are just a few of the activities that are on the menu here.

Getting there?

You can find direct return flights from London from under £200 in peak season. However, a cheaper way to find shoulder season flights is to fly first to Porto or Lisbon, and then from there to the Azores. SATA, TAP and Ryanair all service the islands from the mainland.

Choosing between Madeira or the Azores? Madeira often outshines the Azores as far as tourism goes, but we are OK with that. In fact, one of our favourite things about São Miguel and the Azores is that it’s not a tourist hot spot with tons of 4- and 5-star hotel options. Those on a budget will be happy to hear that there are solid hotel and self-catering options that range from £50 - £60 per night.

Kyushu, Japan

😮 Best for unique and bucket list experiences

Japan recently reopened for all tourism earlier this year, after being closed for over two years, and we have seen a lot of interest for tourism here, according to Google trends the travel demand for Japan is up around 20% compared to 2022. While most tourists will be headed to Tokyo and the surrounding areas, we suggest making your way to Kyushu, Japan’s south westernmost main island. Why? It has a little bit of everything that represents Japan - from sleepy onsen towns in Beppu and larger cities steeped in history (such as Kumamoto and Nagasaki) to the world’s largest calderas in Aso and a few different active volcanoes that you can visit.

Pirate tip: Skip Sakura season (March - April) when crowds and prices soar. Instead, we suggest going in autumn, just before the weather starts to get cooler. Bring on those lovely fall colours and cooler nights soaking in the thermal baths at the onsen.

Getting there?

The best and cheapest option is taking a flight to Tokyo or Osaka from around £600 with one stop, direct will set you back around £800-£1000. Then you have the option to spend a few days in one of Japan's main cities, if you're travelling all that way you might as well.

From here you can get flights to Fukuoka (the busiest airport), Kyushu in 2 hours from under £100 return.